


not enough to say i'm sorry.

by tallycravens



Category: Motherland: Fort Salem (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:28:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 29,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24312049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tallycravens/pseuds/tallycravens
Summary: "She's alive.""She's alive."She loves her and she’s never going to stop.When Raelle & Scylla discover they've both survived, they realize they still need each other.Post season 1 finale. There will be many spoilers. There are also love scenes, including one between four characters (chapter 5), just be warned, as not everyone is receptive to that.
Relationships: Abigail Bellweather/Tally Craven, Raelle Collar/Scylla Ramshorn
Comments: 97
Kudos: 387





	1. Before

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first official contribution to the fandom and I'm a little nervous because I haven't written in a while. If you have thoughts, suggestions, anything, I'd love to read your comments. Feel free to reach out to me on twitter @tallycravens
> 
> Thank you for reading and a big thank you to the cast, writers and everyone else involved with this incredible show.

Every inch of her body aches, Scylla realizes as she rises from the chair that has been her prison for so many days she’s lost count. Her bones crack as she stands up straight, gives Anacostia a curt nod, and sings the sleep induction seed. The moment Sergeant Quartermaine loses consciousness, she flicks the lighter and begins her transformation.

It’s impossible not to smirk as she changes, becoming the mirror image of the beautiful soldier lying on the floor. She begins to get more feeling in her legs as she stretches them out, going for the door and confidently walking down the hall. It’s not hard to imitate the strength that Anacostia exudes, because she, too, is stronger now, and she falls confidently into this persona, not taking any chance she’ll be discovered. 

Once she’s out in the fresh air, Scylla feels like she can breathe again. It isn’t until she feels something wet drip over her cracked lips that she realizes she’s crying. Freedom. It doesn’t feel quite real. Any minute she’s going to wake up shuddering, bound to that god forsaken chair, not at all ready for her impending death.  
  


The necromancer’s fingers dig into her upper thigh and she lets out a soft cry because this is real. She’s out, and she doesn’t know what to do next.  
  


Her mind is racing and all she knows is she’s got to get out of here, lest she be discovered and imprisoned again. It isn’t until she’s off base that she feels safe enough to wear her own face, and even then, she feels on edge, as if any moment, someone will recognize her and turn her in. 

She darts into a restroom, checks to ensure she’s alone and barricades the door, just in case. Scylla has to contact the Spree. She’s been radio silent since her capture. They likely assume she’s dead. This is her chance to get away, isn’t it? But she knows that she’ll never be free from them either. She’s never going to be Just Scylla again.  
  


She stands in front of the mirror and reads her orders, an address, a time. She has a little over an hour to do as she wishes, so she decides to get cleaned up and get some new clothes. They’re not exactly her style, but that’s the point. She has quite the trek to make it to the meeting point in time. It’d be so much easier to grab a ride, but that’s too big of a risk. The only thing she trusts is her own two feet.

Scylla arrives at her destination, dumbfounded to find a rather normal looking home. She gives her passphrase and is shown inside. Little does she know, her entire world is about to change.

She doesn’t recognize the face she sees, knows only that Willa is one of the highest ranking Spree leadership. She’s never seen a picture of Raelle's mother, so she doesn’t know until Willa mentions her daughter.

_Oh._ That makes sense. Raelle had asked Scylla why she’d chosen her. Scylla had only done as she was asked, but now she knew the truth. It had been Raelle's mother who had orchestrated the whole thing. Was all of this to get her daughter back?

Her mouth goes dry and she knows that there’s an expression of shock on her face. Willa looks slightly amused as Scylla gapes dumbly at her. “You’re...her mother?” She manages, her voice sounding like a death rattle. Goddess, she’s thirsty.

“Yes. I am.” Willa gestures for Scylla to get herself a drink, and waits as the young witch pours herself a glass of water, downing it in seconds. “I’m sure you have questions.”

“Why didn’t someone just tell me? I thought...I was delivering Raelle to her death, not to you. If I’d known, I would’ve…” Scylla trails off. Surely Willa knows of her betrayal, of her choosing Raelle over the Spree.

Willa sighs. “I didn’t want her to find out that way. I’m sorry, Scylla, but I couldn’t trust that you wouldn’t tell Raelle the truth. I had to keep you in the dark. But I knew you would fall for her. The truth is, dear Scylla...you were the mark, not Raelle.” A smirk flickers over her face and she crosses her arms, lifting her brows and leveling a glance toward the love of her daughter’s life. “I bet you’re wondering what comes next, hmm?”

“Something like that.”

“I have received word that Raelle and her unit have been deployed. They began their mission earlier today. Depending on the outcome, if…” The stoic woman grows emotional for a moment, but blinks back tears and straightens herself up. “If she survives, like she should, you will find her and bring her to me. It’s that simple.”

_If_ she survives? No, Scylla can’t think of a world without Raelle in it. She’d been so sure that the Bellwether unit would go to War College. This doesn’t make any sense. Something big must have happened. If Scylla had just done as she was told, Raelle would be safe right now...the thought weighs heavily on her mind.

And bringing Raelle to the Spree? It doesn’t _sound_ simple. Raelle regrets ever meeting her, and not just that, but she’s with her unit and goddess knows how many other soldiers. Getting her out of there would be hard enough without also having to convince her she’s not the evil witch she believes she is.

Willa has already told her she doesn’t want Raelle to know about her yet. She can’t even use that as a bargaining chip, but she might have to. It’s the only piece of information that she’s missing to tip the scales.

“And if she won’t go with me?” Scylla questions directly, eyes burning into Willa’s.

She chuckles, boldly meeting her fiery gaze and closing the remaining distance between herself and the necromancer, wanting to ensure there’s no mistaking what she’s about to say.

“ _Make_ her.”

Scylla snorts, then covers her face for a second, realizing it’s probably not a good idea to LAUGH at the leader of a so-called terrorist organization, but…”You of all people should know that no one can _make_ Raelle do anything.”

Luckily that earns a smile from the equanimous woman, a second crack in her mask showing that she does, indeed, have quite a soft spot for Raelle. Something that they have in common.

“Sounds like you have gotten close,” Willa remarks coolly, having regained her composure after that millisecond long lapse. For once in her life, Scylla doesn’t know what to say. 

“We…were. But she found out before I could explain, and now she thinks the worst. She said she wished she’d never met me.” It’s impossible to utter the words without a pained expression, but her face softens when she feels a gentle hand on her shoulder. 

The squeeze that follows isn’t as gentle, but she makes her point. “It only makes sense that she would feel betrayed. While this isn’t the way I wanted things to transpire, I suppose you telling her about me would be the best way to earn her trust, or at the very least, her curiosity. I give you permission to use that information to tempt Raelle. And whatever else you may need. I chose you for a reason, Scylla. Remember that.”

She can’t stand not knowing. She has to ask. “What reason?”

“My daughter...I don’t like to say she’s predictable, because that’s not necessarily true. But she does have a type. Dark hair. Trouble,” the older woman chuckles, “I knew she’d see the sadness in your eyes and fall for you. Raelle was always the type to save the wounded bird that broke its wing.”

“She’s a fixer. Like you. A powerful one.”

“Oh, believe me, I know. She’s more powerful than even she knows. More powerful than I. In time she will learn to harness those powers and gain dominion over life and death.”

A silence settles between them, each woman looking at the other with intent curiosity about one another’s intentions and motivations. Scylla believes she’s much easier to read than Willa. She still doesn’t know what the Spree leader has in mind for Raelle. It must not only be about reuniting, else she wouldn’t mention how powerful she is. She wonders what exactly she means about life and death, whether there is more to Raelle’s powers than healing.

“She asked me, when she found out I was supposed to bring her here, why her. I didn’t know...I still don’t. Somehow I don’t believe it’s just because you want to see her again.”

“You would be right about that. There is a prophecy...I believe it involves her, and you. I don’t know this for sure. She might die today on the battlefield. But goddess, do I hope I am right. Scylla, I can tell you feel for her. It’s written all over your face. Don’t worry about Raelle. She’s a Collar. Strong, capable of things she doesn’t even know of yet. As soon as I get word that she’s safe, you will go after her. Tell her...everything. Everything that you know. I can’t tell you any more. This will have to be enough, for now.”

“A prophecy? But what--”

“I said that’s all I can tell you. Please be a good soldier and listen.” She grabs Scylla by the chin and looks at her carefully. “And whatever you do, don’t break my daughter’s heart.” With that, she releases her, stony-faced and serious.

“But I already have because of all this…” She points out softly, eyes betraying her unbearable sadness. Willa pities her, for what she’s been through in service of the Spree.

The leader nods sagely. “I know. That’s my fault, not yours. I have faith that when she finds out the truth, she _will_ forgive you. The world isn’t black and white. Raelle knows this. She will see you for who you are, and she will love you. She still does, I know it. She’s just hurting, is all. She’ll need time. Don’t give up on her. I believe you are...fated.”

Scylla has felt that since the beginning with Raelle, but she’s never acknowledged it. There’s something different there, something she feels deep in her chest when she looks at her. It has left her broken hearing Raelle’s pain at her hand. “What, like soulmates?” She whispers, and in that moment, Willa realizes she’s just a girl in love. She’d been there, once.

“Yes. Like soulmates.”

“But how do you know…?”

“Magic, my dear. Magic.” Willa winks before dismissing her loyal Spree agent. She’d chosen Scylla specifically for Raelle. Though her plan hasn’t worked out the way she’d hoped, the love is there between them. It won’t take much to get Raelle on her side. Scylla is like a wounded bird, and Raelle can’t help herself. She’ll save her, and then, the world.

She closes her eyes, preparing herself for what she knows is inevitable. Death. The last thing that crosses her mind is how she wishes she wasn’t dying alone, and she surprises herself when she wishes Scylla was at her side. She still loves her, and yes, she’s hurt, but now she’ll never see her again. Oh, Scylla...there’s no one she wants by her side more. She understands death. Raelle hates that it has to end this way.

But then she’s not alone. There’s Abigail. They’re going to die here together, and Tally’s a biddy...Their whole unit, obliterated. It’s horrible. All three family lines ended.

She feels Abigail’s hand slip into hers and she’s at peace. Let death come. She’s ready.

She’s gone.

There’s a strange sensation in her fingers, in her entire body, and the next thing she knows, she and Abigail are walking together through what feels like a barren wasteland. There are dark beads swirling through the air and Raelle’s view of the helicopter is obscured by them, but she knows it’s there.

She and Abigail are left behind, but they’re alive. The air smells like mushrooms. That’s weird. The strange black substance in the air looks like the faces of the sick Tarim people. She can’t pretend to know what it means, but they’re alive. She wasn’t ready. She has so much life left to live. There is light surrounding them. Darkness and light, existing together. One can’t exist without the other. 

“Abigail, what’s happening?” 

Raelle knows that Abigail is just as confused as she is, but the words slip out of her mouth anyway. Her friend looks at her with a bemused expression.

“You mean why aren’t we dead and what the hell is floating around us? Beats me, shitbird, but I’m not complaining. Well, not about anything but that smell. What _is_ that?”

She stops in her tracks, looking around them in awe as it clicks in her mind. “Mushrooms. The mycelium wall. Of course.”

Abigail interrupts, “What are you babbling about?” 

“Sorry, I…” Raelle laughs incredulously. It’s the only explanation that makes any sense. “I was at the necromancer base, looking for Scylla. This was before...everything. They have this wall of mycelium there. This hand came out of the wall and I couldn’t help myself, I touched it.”

“Let me get this straight. You touched a freaky disembodied mushroom hand and didn’t even question it? That’s smart,” Abigail points out, giving Raelle’s hand a teasing squeeze.

“It did something weird to my finger.”

“I remember…” She hums, recalling how Raelle’s finger had looked all white and freaky. “Wait, you said it was in the necromancer base. Do you think that’s what brought us back to life? Necros have dominion over death or whatever, right? Because I’m pretty sure we died.”

“Scylla did this thing with a dead pigeon...she grew a Death’s Cap mushroom. She said something about mushrooms occupying the underworld in the kingdom of plants. I remember she said something about death being...more complicated. Less black and white.”

“Well, that’s creepy.”

“We need to find her,” Raelle determines, though she knows that’s impossible. She’s probably been transferred by now. She may even be dead by now. The thought makes her throat hurt, almost like it’s closing off. She swallows hard, and meets Abigail’s questioning gaze.

“Scylla? Are you serious? Or we could talk to literally ANY other necro…” Abigail isn’t keen on Scylla and doesn’t understand the hold she has over Raelle.

“You’re right. They’ve probably...ex-executed her by now…” She drops Abigail’s hand and turns away, taking a shaky breath. She needs to get a hold of herself.

While the words ‘good riddance’ sit on her tongue, Abigail knows better than to say them out loud. She’s brash and brutal, but even that’s too much for her. She can’t imagine what Raella is going through, she reminds herself. She can’t turn her feelings off like a switch. But she can’t help thinking maybe the world is better off with one less Spree agent.

Raelle’s wiping her eyes when she feels it. Her palm is tingling. She looks down at it and gasps when she sees an S appear on her hand. Abigail’s standing next to her when it happens and there’s no mistaking it for what it is.

_“She’s alive.”_

  
  


_“She’s alive.”_

Raelle survived. Whatever happened out there, she’s still alive. To say she’s relieved would be an understatement. Scylla lets out a loud sigh, catching the attention of one of the other Spree agents, who lift their brows. The necromancer gets to her feet and goes to find Willa, just to tell her that Raelle isn’t gone, and that she’s going to find her.

She knows just where to go. The place she felt safest. It’s the only place she knows Raelle will go to find her. They have no other way to communicate. This is her only chance. Grabbing her jacket, Scylla heads out to complete her mission. 

Except it’s not just a mission anymore. Raelle’s own mother told her they are soulmates. Scylla isn’t mad, this is real, and she can save it. 

She loves her and she’s never going to stop.

  
  


The lighthouse comes into view and Raelle's heart skips a beat. She’s been here once before, when Scylla was missing and they didn’t know she was locked up. She’d been so sure she’d find her here then, and nearly died trying to get here. But she’s stronger now and even more certain that this is the right place.

When she sees her, her body goes slightly limp. She can feel Abigail’s strong arm supporting her by the waist and she gives her a thankful nod. Slowly, they approach the necromancer, who looks just as struck to see her.

“I thought you were…” They both say simultaneously, then laugh, because it’s so ridiculous.

Abigail nods. She’s eyeing Scylla because she still doesn’t trust her. If she makes a move, she’ll slit her throat first and deal with Raelle’s anger later. “We were. We died. Something brought us back. Raelle said something about touching a mushroom hand on your creepy mushroom wall. What’s up with that?”

“Scylla, she’s right. I was stabbed and dying on the battlefield. We were laying there together, holding hands, taking our dying breaths, and the next thing I know, we’re standing there and the air smells like mushrooms and there’s these black blobs floating around…”

“Like that sickness she cured in Khalida and her people,” Abigail adds helpfully.

“Wait, I just remembered something. When I cured them, I didn’t take anything into myself like I usually do. Does that mean something?”

Scylla’s eyes widen and she stands there deep in thought for a moment. “We should go to the wall and check it out. I don’t know much about the properties of mycelium, but I’m sure Fort Salem has some books on it. Anyway, before we go there...I have news.”

“What?”

“There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to tell you, okay? Anacostia let me go, and I went to the safe house to meet the Spree leader. Raelle, it’s...your mother. She’s alive, and she’s in charge of the Spree.”

The word shock isn’t strong enough to describe Raelle’s reaction. Her eyes turn dark, because she doesn’t believe Scylla. Of course she doesn’t. She’s lied to her before, after all.

“I’m telling the truth. I know that’s hard to believe, but I’m never going to lie to you again, Rae,” Scylla bites her lip, nearly drawing blood due to the force of her teeth digging into the soft flesh of her lower lip. “I didn’t know. I would’ve said something if I’d known. She wants to see you. She said you’re more powerful than you know, and that there’s some prophecy, and…”

“And what?” Abigail asks, because Raelle’s still silent, taking it all in.

“And she said we’re soulmates,” Scylla replies sheepishly, a soft pink blush coming to her cheeks. 

Raelle thinks it’s not fair that she can look so pretty after everything she’s done. She should hate her, but she can’t, and worst of all, she believes every word. _I’m so stupid,_ she thinks, _so fucking naive._

Abigail snorts loudly, rolling her eyes and throwing a protective arm over Raelle’s shoulders. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“She said she knew you’d fall for me because I’m like a wounded bird. She told me how when you were little, you’d find a bird with a broken wing and nurse it back to health.”

“Oh, please. That’s a lucky guess. She’s a fixer, for Goddess' sake.”

Needless to say, Abigail was not making this easy. Raelle still hasn’t said anything. Not a single word. Scylla doesn’t like not knowing what she’s thinking. She just wants to touch her, to kiss her again. She wants to see the love in her eyes again, instead of this pain.

“Shut up, Abigail,” Raelle interrupts, frustrated but instantly apologetic. “Sorry.” She turns to look at Scylla, holding her gaze as if searching for the truth in her face. “She’s right, though. It could be a good guess. But...they wanted me. Specifically me. If it was my mom, that would explain it.” She trails off before letting out a sigh. “I want to believe you, Scylla. I do. But I just don’t know if I can.”

She understands that. The betrayal was total. But the feelings are real. The love is real. She needs Raelle to know that, but she’s completely destroyed her credibility. There are tears in her eyes as she speaks, defending herself as best she can, and making an offer, too.

“I meant everything I said the other day in my cell. I fell in love with you, Raelle. Yes, I was supposed to bring you to the Spree, but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t bear anything happening to you, so I disobeyed the Spree’s orders, knowing they would kill me. I chose you, and I will always choose you. I don’t blame you for not trusting me. But it’s like I said, I will never lie to you again. You can ask me anything. And let me help you figure out this mycelium thing. I’ll take you to the necro base, grab some books, check out the wall. Whatever you need. Whatever I can do to earn your forgiveness. Please.”   
  


“Okay. Help us, and we can talk,” Raelle agrees gently.

Abigail shoots Scylla a glare that could melt steel, but she remains nonplussed. Instead, she offers her hand for Raelle to shake, for no other reason than needing to feel her touch again. Hopefully it won’t be the last time.

Hands are shaken, agreements made, and the trio begins their journey back to Fort Salem. It’s going to be tricky getting in and out, but Scylla can put on another face and make it easier. (That still creeps Abigail out, even if it’s helpful.) The three reluctant women manage to sneak into the necromancer’s base, thankful it’s mostly deserted. They stand in front of the mysterious mycelium wall, brows furrowed as they observe the withered fungus. The once white wall is now black, like the skin of the sick, having taken on the illness in the way Raelle usually did. The wall is moving and a withered hand reaches out, causing the three to jump back. Raelle doesn’t reach for it this time.

“Yeah, so that just happened,” Abigail mutters in disbelief. “You said you usually take on the damage of whatever you’re healing, right? But you didn’t this time. It looks like the wall did.”

“What if touching the wall created some kind of connection between me and it?”

Scylla nods at the astute observation. “It’s possible. It’s a living thing, and full of magic. The mycelium is like the root of the mushroom, with the mushroom being the flower. The root is likely connected to some magic source. I think the older necro students use the wall in their work. I don’t know the specifics, but it should be in the textbooks. I know where to go.”

“I’m not sure we should follow you anywhere. You could be leading us into a trap,” Abigail points out. Scylla sighs loudly.

“You’re right. I could be. But there are far more people here that want me dead than would want you dead, trust me. I’m trying to help you. Let me. There’s a specific upper level course that teaches about these things. They probably have left over books in the library, but that would take longer and be an unnecessary risk. Instead, we can break into the professor’s personal collection. But of course, it’s up to you two,” she adds with as little mirth as possible. 

As frustrated as Scylla is, she doesn’t want to kill any possibility of being with Raelle again. So she needs to play nice, even if it makes her want to scream being treated this way by Abigail. It’s annoying but at the same time, endearing. Abigail is protective over Raelle, not that she needs the protection. Their connection is sweet. They clearly both care about the tiny blonde, so that’s one thing they have in common. Better than nothing, she guesses.

“Let’s do it,” Raelle agrees.

  
  


Leather-bound books in hand, the trio leaves the way they came, exiting Fort Salem for what they all realize is the last time. They opt to return to the lighthouse for now, as it feels like neutral territory, and huddle together around the books. Raelle is inches away and Scylla can smell her hair. She remembers what it felt like to trail kisses down her neck and torso and down...the memories distract her so much that she doesn’t hear Abigail at first.

“This passage, I think it’s the one.”

They move in closer and Raelle’s hand brushes Scylla’s. The necromancer’s face immediately flushes scarlet but Raelle pretends she doesn’t notice. Scylla likes to pretend she touched her on purpose. It gives her hope.

It was definitely on purpose, and she hates herself for it. Raelle still feels something for Scylla. She hopes everything she’s said is true, that somehow they can get to a place where they can be together again. She knows how stupid and unrealistic it is, but she can’t help it. She’ll never tell anyone, but Raelle Collar is a hopeless romantic. 

“It says here it has medicinal and magical properties, and that it’s used in medication and potions.” Raelle remarks, licking her finger and turning the page. “Apparently it absorbs the nutrients for the mushroom and helps it decompose. Do you think it’s decomposing this...virus?”

Scylla’s still reading over her shoulder, bumping her hand when she reaches over to turn the page. After a moment of reading, she turns to Raelle, noticing the lack of distance between them and trying to maintain her composure.

“Not just that. Through your connection to it, it sounds like you transferred your death to the mycelium. And you said you were holding hands with Abigail, so it must have brought her back because you were touching at the time. I think it absorbed both of your deaths. Remember how it looked withered? I think that the mycelium wall is dying...and that it gave you some of its power in exchange for taking your pain. Like a symbiotic relationship.”

“That’s brilliant!” Raelle exclaims, but puts a damper on it when she sees Abigail’s expression. “I mean, uh...that makes a lot of sense, actually. Do you think I’m in danger though?”

“You don’t seem to be, but I’m not really qualified to say that definitively. Maybe your mother will know more about it?” Scylla suggests carefully, closing the book and looking up at the two other women expectantly. 

Raelle looks torn, avoiding Abigail’s judgmental gaze. “Did she explain anything to you? Why did she fake her death? Why is she Spree? Anything?”

“She told me nothing, as usual. I told you all I know. I’m sorry. I believe she wants to explain all of that to you herself. Clearly something must have happened to change things for her. For her to leave you like that. She has to have her reasons. I know she really wants to see you, Raelle. When she found out you’d been deployed, she was crying. She was terrified you were going to die. For what it’s worth...I think you should talk with her. Just talk. I wouldn’t trust her. I don’t know her intentions, but I’d like to. She said you’re more powerful than you know, and something about you having dominion over life and death? Maybe that’s why you came back. I don’t know. She talked about that prophecy, and how she thought that you and I were the ones mentioned in it. She didn’t go into specifics, but if it’s a prophecy, it’s probably some end of days, saving the world kind of thing. I don’t really feel like that kind of hero. Not anymore,” Not now that Raelle looks at her like that, she thinks. But her gaze is softening, and things seem to be improving. She hopes she can win her trust back, if not her heart.

“Abigail, do you mind giving us a minute?” Raelle asks hesitantly, knowing her friend well enough to know she won’t want to leave them alone after everything that’s happened. “I can take care of myself.”

Abigail glances at Raelle and then Scylla, throws up her hands and exits the lighthouse, leaving the two girls alone. Scylla doesn’t move, doesn’t want to presume anything. She merely meets Raelle’s gaze and tries to steady her breath. This girl _does_ things to her.

The silence feels like it lasts forever until Raelle finally breaks it, and breaks down in the process.

“I feel like an idiot for believing you at all. You’ve destroyed my ability to trust people, do you know that? I’m going to question everything and everyone for the rest of my life.”

“I know. I’m so sorry. I was following orders. I never meant to fall for you, but I did. And when I did, I made my choice. It was you. It’ll always be you. What I was asked to do, it doesn’t make my feelings any less real. I love you, Raelle, and I think I always will. I’ve never felt this for anyone before. I didn’t know I could even feel these things. I haven’t felt love since my parents died. I feel at home with you. At least, I did, before I screwed everything up...but Raelle, I will make it up to you. I would do anything for you. I would die for you. Even if we’re never together again in that way, I’m not going anywhere. Not...not unless you ask me to.”

The last thing Scylla wants is to force herself in Raelle’s life if she doesn’t want her there. She’s hopeful, but hesitant, not wanting to come off as overpowering or obsessive. At the same time, the thought of losing her, the only good thing in her life, threatens to break her. The truth is she’s just as terrified now as the day her parents were taken from her. She can’t lose anything else. She’s hanging on by a thread.

“ _Scylla_ ,” Raelle's voice is shaky, a pained expression on her face, torn between her desire to comfort Scylla and to stand her ground. “I don’t know what I want right now. I can’t make that decision. I’m not thinking straight...I’m not going to ask you to leave, and I’m not going to ask you to die for me. Just be here, for now, okay? That’s all I can handle at the moment.” Slowly she reaches for Scylla’s hand, trembling as she links their fingers together. “You mean so much to me, Scylla. And I love you, too. I don’t deal well with liars, and if I ever catch you lying to me again…”

She doesn’t even have to finish the sentence before Scylla promises, “I won’t.” She means it, too. With her free hand, she leans in to brush a tear from Raelle’s soft cheek. “I never meant to hurt you, and I never want to again. I will kill anyone who harms you, and that includes myself.”

Raelle can’t help but laugh, then sniffles. “Oh, stop.” She has butterflies in her stomach as she subconsciously moves closer to her former girlfriend, craving her warmth and familiarity. They stand there for a moment, merely looking at one another tentatively, before Raelle asks in the gentlest voice. “Can I kiss you? For old times’ sake…?” One last time, she lies to herself herself.

“Of course you can,” Scylla answers evenly, but she’s trying her damndest not to squeal. She never expected to get to kiss her again. Even if it’s the last, at least she has a chance to say goodbye to that part of their relationship. But this _is_ a good sign, right?

Raelle finds her other hand and leans up, capturing Scylla’s lips in a slow, lingering kiss. It’s a kiss that Scylla gratefully returns, her thumb rubbing the top of the other woman’s hand. When the kiss is broken, their foreheads are still touching, each trying to catch their breath.

“Take your time,” Scylla whispers, brushing her lips against Raelle’s jaw before she pulls back. “You set the terms between us. I’m the one in the wrong here. I understand I have to earn your trust again. Thanks for giving me a chance.”

“Where’s my mom?”

“At the safe house. I don’t know how she’ll feel about Abigail coming with us. I doubt she’d trust a Bellwether. No offense.”

“No, you’re probably right. But I also doubt Abigail will let us leave her behind.”

Scylla grins. “True. She’s annoying like that.” 

  
  


Surprisingly enough, Raelle is able to convince Abigail to stay behind. Ultimately, she recognizes that Raelle’s mother might see it as a threat, and besides, she needs to make sure that Tally is okay. They barely had time to register her sacrifice before the shit hit the fan. As far as Tally knows, they’re both dead. So while Raelle & Scylla meet up with Willa, Abigail will go find the unit and apprise them of the situation. Well, she might have to leave out a few things.

The trip from the lighthouse to the safe house isn’t a short one, and it gives the two of them plenty of time to talk things over. There’s so much left unsaid between them that Scylla doesn’t even know where to begin. Luckily, she doesn’t have to.

“How did you convince Anacostia to let you go?” Raelle still can’t believe it happened. She never would have guessed.

“Well, I think what Alder did to the president really shook her belief system. But honestly, we talked a lot. About me, my life, and about hers, too. Did you know we’re both orphans? Turns out, we have quite a bit in common. By the end of it, she didn’t see me as the enemy anymore. Well, she decided I didn’t deserve to die, at least. She had me knock her out to make it look real, then I walked out as her. No one was the wiser.” Scylla’s smile fades as she admits for the first time, “I was so scared. I thought I was going to die.”

Raelle completely understands her fear. She’d been in that exact same position, after all.

“So did I. As I was lying on the battlefield, dying, all I could think about was how I wouldn’t be living my final moments with you. That’s...when I knew I could forgive you. But I thought it was too late. I thought you’d already been executed.” Her face softens and her fingers brush Scylla’s wrist. “I’ve never been happier to be wrong.”

“We both should have died today. But we both survived, somehow. I think your mother might be right. We were saved for a reason.”

“Maybe,” Raelle considers as they fall in step with one another, walking side by side comfortably. It’s quite the change from their exchange in Scylla’s cell. “Speaking of my mother...how did you react when she told you who she was?”

Scylla grins. “Well, I think I did the whole wide eyed deer in headlights thing. All I could think was, oh, shit, I fucked my boss’ daughter…”

That earns a giggle from Raelle. Goddess, she missed that sweet sound.

“Hm, you didn’t actually say that though, right?”

“Of course not! I would have died on the spot.”

Raelle laughs again and things feel easier, better between them. There might be a long way to go, but it’s progress. Scylla can feel hope blooming in her chest like a mushroom from a corpse. From death, comes beauty. She’s always felt that way. She and Raelle are so different, yet the same. She recognizes that she’s a necro, while Raelle is a fixer. One could say Scylla is darkness, and Raelle is light. However you put it, one thing’s undeniable, they’re better, stronger, together. Scylla has every intention of proving that.

“What happened with War College, by the way? You never said,” Scylla grows serious again because she genuinely wants to know.

“Alder happened.”

“What do you mean?”

“Abigail, Tally and I went to Petra. We told her that Alder had you locked up. She must have said something to the President, because next thing we know, Alder’s puppeting her. Then we graduated and found out we were deploying. Petra did some digging...Alder made it happen. Then she pulled strings to get Abigail a solo slot in War College. She almost went without us. Almost. So needless to say, Alder isn’t too happy with us. Not only did Abigail and I die, Tally, she…” Raelle turns away, hiding her tears and flinching unexpectedly when Scylla touches her shoulder. She gives her an apologetic glance, because Scylla looks hurt by the reaction.

“Alder was dying, and Tally sacrificed her youth for her,” Raelle explains after regaining her composure. Her face crumples and Scylla asks permission before she hugs her.

She mumbles under her breath and Raelle asks her to repeat herself, so she happily declares, “Fuck Alder. She’s not worth it. We can reverse it. There has to be a way. From what I’ve heard, Tally is the most talented Knower they’ve had in years. They can’t waste her talent on an evil witch like Alder.”

“You think she’s evil?” Raelle asks with a cock of her head.

“Of course she is! Just think of all the things she’s probably done in the hundreds of years she’s been alive. That’s plenty of time to commit war crimes and other atrocities. People like Alder are why I became Spree. She’s worse. I can promise you that.”

Raelle thinks about it as they resume walking, now only a couple blocks from the safe house. She can feel her insides twisting. She’s nervous about coming face to face with her mother. She doesn’t know what to expect. Instead she shifts her mind back to Alder, and to what happened on the battlefield.

“The mission we went on was to save Khalida's people. Some were already dead. Alder kept insisting it was Spree, even though Tally could see them, and knew they weren’t. Spree doesn’t kill witches. She told her that, but Alder wouldn’t listen. It was the Camarilla. The ancient enemy. Alder had been bragging all this time about wiping them out...they had these warped versions of our seeds. They were far worse than anything I ever imagined the Spree could do,” Raelle confesses, essentially admitting her views on the Spree are already changing. She’s curious to learn more now that she knows her mother’s at the helm. She has her own complicated relationship with the military, and now because of Alder, she’s questioning everything.

“We’re here…” Scylla feels bad interrupting, but the moment has come. She doesn’t want to rush Raelle since this is a long time coming, so she simply waits for her to decide what comes next. She’s pleasantly surprised when she feels Raelle reaching for her hand, but then realizes that Raelle is shaking. She’s terrified. “Hey, I’m here. It’s going to be okay. Whatever happens, I got you.” She promises.

Hand in hand, they walk up to the porch, to face the truth, together.

They both know that nothing will ever be the same.


	2. Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our girls are reunited and a plan begins to form as enemies learn they must work together to survive.

There are tears. Happy tears, but also sad ones.

As Abigail reunites with Tally, she crumples against her, whimpering softly because the sight of her like this hits her like a punch to the gut. It’s becoming real now. Tally has given up her youth, and Abigail doesn’t know if there’s any reversing it. Her friend, her _sister_ is even more selfless than she could have ever imagined, giving without question to a General who doesn’t fully appreciate what she’s done for her.

“Raelle?” Tally asks hesitantly. Even her voice sounds old, strained.

It hurts to listen to her, even more to look at her, but Abigail forces herself to.

“She’s okay. There’s so much to catch you up on, Tal. Something happened. Raelle was dying, and I joined with her to try to save her. But I’m not the best fixer, and I’m pretty sure we both...died. Something brought us back. There was an explosion. My ears still hurt from it. We were okay. Raelle’s wound just disappeared, like it never happened. We noticed the air smelled funny, and she told me about the mycelium wall in the necromancer base that she’d apparently touched...so, we found Scylla so that she could help us figure things out.”

“Scylla's alive?”

“Yes. Anacostia set her free,” she explains, and at the look on Tally’s face, she agrees, “I know,” before continuing, “We went to check out the mushroom wall and it was withered and black, like it was dying. We think it absorbed our deaths somehow, that there is a connection between it and us.”

“That’s...wow,” Tally croaks. They've seen many things in their time at Fort Salem, but this is something else.

Abigail nods in agreement. It’s hard to believe all this has happened just today. “I didn’t tell you the craziest part. When Scylla got out, she met with the Spree, and met their leader for the first time. It’s Raelle’s mother. That’s where they are right now. Scylla took her to see her mother.”

“No way. What? I can’t believe you’d let her go with Scylla alone.”

“Raelle didn’t want me to go. You know how she is. Besides, she can take care of herself. She’s more than proved that now,” Abigail smirks, “We figured it was safer for them without me. Having a Bellweather show up would’ve ignited a war then and there. I wanted to come find you. Tally,” her voice drops low, and she grabs the redhead’s hands, taking a shaky breath. “We’re going to figure this out. We can reverse this somehow.”

Tally shakes her head. “I made my decision, Abigail. I don’t have any regrets. It’s okay.”

“It’s NOT okay. If we can figure out a way to reverse this, and still keep Alder alive, will you consider it? Please? For me and Raelle.”

“I’ll consider it. For you guys,” she adds.

Abigail stews in silence, turning over the thoughts in her mind. She’s grateful that Tally just sits there, waiting patiently for her words. After a long time, she declares confidently, “I don’t think we know the whole story...about the Spree, about Alder, and all the things she’s done. She lied about the Camarilla and who knows what else. They are the ones who killed my family. They were using their voices. It all happened so fast, but I recognized…” _Charvel._ She recognized Charvel’s voice, but she can’t say it out loud. Instead, she says, “It was them.”

“The Camarilla are the real enemy here. That battle, it wasn’t anything like what they prepared us for. They’re coming after Alder, after all of us. Like you said, we don’t _know_ the whole story about the Spree. I’m not saying they’re not bad people, but maybe...we should put all this aside, for now. Work together to defeat the Camarilla. It might be the only way that we can win. With Raelle’s mother being a leader, maybe we can convince her to work with us. We have a common enemy. These things, they go after all witches, whether Army, Spree, it doesn’t matter.”

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

“Exactly.”

Nothing could have prepared Raelle for this moment. She’d come to Fort Salem for answers about her mother’s death, never anticipating that she wasn’t actually dead. While she had believed Scylla when she told her about her mother, seeing her in the flesh is different somehow. It makes it all real. She feels like she might throw up.

“Raelle,” her mother reaches for her, but she withdraws as if she’s been burned.

It’s too much too soon. She needs to learn more. Scylla isn’t the only one who needs to earn her forgiveness.

“Don’t. Not yet. I need to know what happened. Why did you fake your death?”

“It wasn’t my decision. The Spree captured me, and threatened to kill your father if I didn’t join them. They orchestrated the whole thing. But they taught me things. They showed me the truth. There is so much you don’t know, Raelle.”

“Then tell me. Stop being cryptic. Just tell me the truth, for once. I am so sick of being lied to,” she remarks, her gaze drifting over to Scylla, who looks down at the floor in response.

Willa seems frustrated by her daughter’s reaction, her face reddening, but she remains calm. She turns her attention to Scylla for a moment. “Could you give us a minute?” She requests in a careful but commanding tone.

Before answering, Scylla looks to Raelle for an answer. She’s not leaving unless she wants her to. Raelle shakes her head emphatically.

“Your daughter wants me to stay. So I’m not going anywhere,” Scylla firmly declares.

Raelle takes Scylla’s hand, a show of strength and camaraderie, and maybe love. That could just be Scylla being overly optimistic, though.

“Anything you want to say to me, you can say in front of Scylla. I don’t trust you, and I don’t want to be alone with you right now. Tell me what this truth is that has made you so willing to kill civilians, and to convince people like her to do your bidding.” She squeezes Scylla’s hand, and Scylla squeezes back.

She’s proud of her for standing up to her mother. Stronger than she knows. Isn’t that the truth?

“The humans want to get rid of us. But this time, they have an ally helping them.”

“The Camarilla,” Scylla and Raelle respond in unison.

“Yes,” Willa agrees, “They are working together to rid the world of witches and magic. We were trying to take them on ourselves, but haven’t been successful. Given the history of the Spree, the army believes we’re the enemy, when really we’ve been trying to protect them and all witches. There is a reason we don’t kill witches. We’re trying to save them. We've tried to warn them, but as you know, the military hasn't made it easy. I thought if I could get Scylla to bring you here, to see what we’re really doing, you could convince Alder and the rest to work with us to save everyone.”

“I don’t think Alder will listen to me. Tally, she’s in my unit, she’s a Knower. She told Alder right before we were attacked that it was the Camarilla, not Spree, but she refused to believe her. I think Alder knew she didn’t wipe them out. How could she not know? She’s too stubborn, and too ambitious. She’ll want to do it all on her own to protect her reputation,” Raelle describes what she believes will happen. 

She might not fully trust her mother yet, but she doesn’t exactly trust Alder either. Working together makes sense. It’s convincing the two groups to work together that’s going to be difficult.

“She puppeted the president,” Scylla admits, not sure if she should tell Willa this or not. 

The gears are turning in Willa’s mind as she begins to formulate a plan, thrilled by this piece of information that can aid them in their cause. “So, you’re saying we could get Alder removed from her position. That is a high crime. Not only would she be removed, she would likely be executed. How did you get this information?”

“Anacostia Quartermaine. She saw her do it,” Raelle admits.

“This is the same person who let you go?” She asks Scylla, who nods in turn. “Interesting. It sounds like she is questioning everything. This could be good for us.”

Before the conversation can continue, a woman enters, regarding Willa with utmost respect as she declares that they’ve apprehended a spy outside. Raelle’s mother nods, indicating for them to bring the spy forward. A moment later, they’re carrying her in.

“Anacostia, I presume?” Willa smirks, gesturing for her agents to let her go, and then invites Anacostia to sit at the table with them. “Funny, we were just talking about you. My daughter tells me you witnessed General Alder puppeting the president.”

Anacostia clears her throat and sits up straight, trying to put off the image of power. The last thing she wants is for the Spree leader to perceive her as weak. “Your daughter?” She echoes, looking from Scylla to Raelle. She’s never met Willa, only heard of her, and recognition dawns on her face when she sees the look in Raelle’s eyes. “Willa Collar. I’d say it’s an honor, but...well, you’re Spree, so that’d be a lie.”

“Please spare me the condescension. As I was just telling the girls, Spree has been fighting the humans and the Camarilla, trying to keep witches & magic safe. We can’t do that alone. Raelle seems to think General Alder will be reluctant to work with us. Removing her from power might be the best way around Alder, and you have the lynchpin to make that possible. Will you use it?”

“The Camarilla. They’re back?”

“They never left.”

“But General Alder said…”

“Clearly she has proven she can’t be trusted.”

Raelle & Scylla watch silently as the two older women speak back and forth, their voices hushed as they lean in. It’s clear that Anacostia’s curiosity is piqued. She recognizes that General Alder is dangerous and can’t be trusted. She’s followed her every order, but now, she doesn’t know that she can anymore. If she’s willing to puppet people, she has no sense of morality. Perhaps it is something she’s lost in her extended time on Earth. 

“Before Alder puppeted the president, she was going to be removed,” Raelle explains, “Petra Bellweather was going to replace her. I’m sure she’d be a good replacement.”

“Her daughter, Abigail, is in Raelle’s unit. She’s talented. Powerful. A force to be reckoned with. All three of you are,” Anacostia praises, looking to Scylla, “And you, too.” She chuckles. “Petra’s a tough nut to crack, but I think she’d be more amenable to this plan than General Alder.”

“On this we agree,” Willa hums. “We’ll begin planning at once.” Snapping her fingers, she waits for one of her agents to come in and then asks them to pour them each a glass of wine. “To celebrate great minds coming together.” She takes a sip of her wine once the glass is poured, and looks at her daughter. “You will need to speak with Petra’s daughter about this. If you can get her on board, Petra will be more likely to listen. Scylla tells me that your unit went to Petra about her...unsavory detainment and she went straight to the president. It’s clear to me that she has lost faith in General Alder just as we have.”

Scylla breaks in gently, putting her glass down as she regards Anacostia with a nod. “Thank you, by the way.”

“Don’t make me regret it,” Anacostia retorts, draining her glass of wine and turning toward Willa with interest. “I have some ideas about the Camarilla. Do you have any research on them?”

“Yes, of course. Follow me,” Willa gets to her feet and gives Raelle a quick squeeze of the shoulder, telling her goodbye and wishing her luck on their new mission.

As the two women walk away, still discussing war tactics, Scylla turns to Raelle, wanting to see her reaction to everything that’s just transpired. Raelle is quiet as a mouse, and she gets up to grab the wine bottle, pouring herself another glass.

Scylla fights the urge to tell her that it’s not a good idea. The last thing Raelle needs right now is someone else telling her what to do. Instead, she nurses her own wine, a small smile coming to her lips as Raelle’s hand moves to her thigh.

Somehow, Scylla intuitively seems to know exactly what she needs. She’s silent when she wants her to be, holds her hand when she asks and she anticipates Raelle’s feelings before she even vocalizes her. That’s something special. She knows that. She can feel her anger beginning to dampen as she realizes there are bigger things at stake.

The Camarilla are no joke. They’re the real deal, far deadlier than the Spree ever were, and they’d already killed her once. Raelle recognizes that she might not be so lucky next time. If she’s going to leave this world for real, she doesn’t want to have any regrets.

Wordlessly, Raelle stands up, but before Scylla can do the same, she shakes her head, putting her hands on her shoulders before she climbs onto Scylla’s lap. Her face is in her hands as she kisses her, far more passionately than before. The kiss goes on for several minutes as Raelle greedily partakes in what she now realizes is her greatest desire and quite obviously, her greatest weakness.

She only breaks the kiss when she begins struggling to breathe. Her breath is heavy, and Scylla’s hands fall naturally to her hips, holding her so that she doesn’t fall off. That’s something she appreciates, as the wine’s starting to hit her now and she feels a little dizzy. Breathlessly she meets Scylla’s gaze, overcome with love and unbearable need.

This isn’t the time or place. She knows this. But it’s difficult to deny what she so badly wants. 

“I love you, Raelle,” Scylla whispers to her, and as Raelle looks into her eyes, she realizes that she’s crying. It’s Raelle’s turn to wipe away tears, and the motion quickly follows with soft kisses pressed to her wet cheeks.

She buries her face in her neck. “I love you, too.” Breathing in her scent, Raelle allows herself to drown in it. She’s beginning to give herself permission to forgive Scylla, and to stop denying her feelings. She’s sick of lies, so she’s not going to lie to herself anymore. “I’m afraid we’re going to die, Scyl,” she confesses woefully.

“We might,” Scylla admits, and as Raelle pulls back, lifting her eyebrows incredulously, she smirks. “I told you I wouldn’t lie to you again, remember? This is war. We _could_ die. But if I’m going to die, I want to do it by your side. You got that?”

“Yeah...I got that.”

“Good.”

Ever since she and Raelle came back, Abigail has felt...different. She couldn’t explain how until she & Raelle were separated. When she left to find Tally, Abigail could feel her connection to Raelle still present. She could still feel her there, even feel some of her emotions. 

She’s in the middle of a conversation with Tally when she feels Raelle’s emotions suddenly shift. Her eyes widen a bit and she covers her face with her hands.

“You shitbird, seriously?” She mutters to herself.

“What was that?” Tally asks brightly, having been in the middle of a sentence when Abigail suddenly stopped listening and began talking under her breath.

“It’s Raelle. I’m pretty sure...ugh...she’s turned on, or something,” Abigail admits begrudgingly, squeezing her eyes shut, but then she accidentally sees Scylla’s lips in front of her, and feels the warmth of them against her own. No, against _Raelle’s_. **Fuck.**

She hurriedly opens her eyes to Tally staring at her like she’s gone mad.

“I think there’s something connecting me to Raelle. I just saw...she’s definitely making out with Scylla right now.” She rolls her eyes because of course Raelle’s making out with Scylla. Yet she finds she’s not as angry before. Maybe she’s warming up to the idea. “I still don’t trust her. Whatever. I…” Before she can finish her sentence, she goes silent and falls backward, landing with a thud on the floor.

Now highly concerned, Tally jumps up and runs over to Abigail, screaming her name over and over. She’s unconscious, and Tally doesn’t understand why.

“--GAIL!”

Abigail wakes with a start to Tally screaming in her face, her palm inches away, about to slap her if she has to. She hurriedly pushes her hand away and sits up, disoriented from all that’s just happened. She wonders if she’ll ever get used to this, or if it’s going to be like this from now on.

“Sorry, uh, speaking of my connection with Raelle, she just spoke to me somehow, in my head." She knows how ludicrous it sounds, but is it really that crazy compared to everything else they've done and seen? "She said she wants to meet up with us to talk about Alder and my mom. It has to do with planning to fight the Camarilla.”

Tally doesn’t leave Abigail’s side, still tutting with concern. Some of the color has drained from Abigail’s face and she’s not entirely sure that she’s okay. She's keeping a careful eye on her, just in case.

“Like we were saying. Do you think Raelle heard us talking somehow?”

“I don’t _think_ so, but I don’t know how this works, so…” Abigail shrugs sheepishly. She allows Tally to help her to her feet, and her brow furrows as she looks at her. “We’re supposed to meet up with them. We need to talk to Raelle about trying to break the link between you & Alder..”

“I’m not worried about that right now.”

“ _I_ am. We need you in fighting shape, Craven. And no offense, but Biddy Tally freaks me out.”

It’s now time for Abigail to try to reach out to Raelle, but she doesn’t really know what she’s doing. She concentrates with everything in her, grabbing onto Tally’s hand to steady herself as she puts feelers out for Raelle. She can feel them coming together again, and she’s able to offer a safe meeting place, the pizza restaurant they’d all went to before. It’s the only neutral ground she can think of, and Raelle is quick to agree.

Abigail’s head is pounding when she comes out of it, but she’s had worse.

With a grimace, Abigail declares, “So, looks like we’re getting pizza.”

It’s a lot. _All_ of this is a lot. Raelle’s head hurts like it never has before. She thinks it has something to do with the brain power required to talk with Abigail long distance like that. She didn’t even realize she could until she felt Abigail connect with her the way she did. She’d be embarrassed about what her friend had witnessed if she didn’t have way more important things to worry about, like making sure they _don’t fucking die._

It feels strange to be meeting up at a pizza parlor as if everything’s normal. But if they act like things are normal, it won’t seem as suspicious.

Raelle forgot what it felt like to wear civilian clothes, but now she’s at home in her flannel shirt, grateful to have Scylla by her side, for better or for worse. Things between them are just as complicated as before. It’s nothing time won’t fix. Her anger has tamped down a lot, and she feels like she’s finally beginning to see things clearly.

There’s no questioning that Scylla loves her, just as there’s no questioning that Raelle is just as in love with Scylla as the day they met.

She’s still holding her hand when they make it to the restaurant. Feeling self-conscious about her friends seeing that she’s given in to her feelings, she lets go. Raelle looks to Scylla apologetically, earning a gentle smile and a nod. She understands. It’s okay.

Together, they head inside & take a quick look around. It looks as if they’re the first to arrive, so they commandeer a booth in the back, and Scylla keeps an eye out for Raelle’s unit. They’re sitting across from one another in the booth, and Scylla smirks as she feels Raelle’s foot bump against hers. She doesn’t know if it’s intentional or not, but it makes her smile all the same. She’s finding that her face is beginning to hurt from all the smiling, which is a nice change of pace, if you ask her…

The smile slips from her features when she catches sight of their guests. Scylla sits up slightly and waves, capturing their attention before sitting back down. Raelle notices the way that Scylla tenses in her seat, clearly unnerved by her distrustful friends. She touches her hand for a second, just to reassure her, before greeting the two women. 

It must look strange, the three young women with the very obviously elderly Tally here with them. Goddess, just looking at her makes Raelle’s heart ache.

Scylla is shocked by Tally’s appearance, even though Raelle had told her what happened. She’s still beautiful, of course, but her hair has gone gray and there are deep set wrinkles on her face. It’s unnerving seeing her like this.

“We need to sever the connection between Tally and Alder,” Scylla declares boldly, breaking the silence of their secluded booth. The other three girls look at her, not expecting such a strong reaction out of her. “I know we have other things to address, but we can’t just leave her like this. Tally, I know there has to be a way to fix it. I’ll reach out to my contacts, and we’ll figure this out.”

“Sure. You can try, but I knew what I was giving up. I can live with it.”

“ _I_ can’t,” Abigail and Raelle argue in unison.

Scylla doesn’t know Tally all that well, but seeing her like this is equal parts heartbreaking and infuriating. Alder doesn’t deserve the gift Tally has given her. She’s committed multiple war crimes, including killing civilians, and doesn’t deserve immortality. Seeing what that leech had done to Tally, who usually had such a brightness in her eyes, it lights a fire in Scylla’s stomach.

“You shouldn’t have to live with it. Alder is a parasite, and you’re too important to die before your time. We’re going to save you. We have to.”

She has an interesting list of contacts thanks to her work with the Spree. Scylla’s sure that if Raelle’s mother had known anything about restoring Tally’s youth, she would’ve said something.

But there’s one person sticking in her mind more than anyone. One person who knows her better than anyone else, who is pretty much a fountain of knowledge.

She’s like a mother to her, having taken Scylla under her wing after the passing of her parents. Cerce is the one they need.

She explains all of this over pizza, having not realized how hungry she was. She inhales the food, far better tasting than the gruel she’d been eating in her cell for weeks. Once this part of the conversation comes to an end, Raelle brings up the plan to Abigail, telling her that they need her mother for this. Abigail is dubious, because her mother doesn’t generally listen to her about much, but she figures it’s worth a try. 

Not dying _is_ pretty damn important, after all.

Full bellied and raring to go, Abigail brings the squad to see her mother. She doesn’t have a lot of hope, especially after the way she reacted to her mother getting her a solo slot at War College. It’s not that she didn’t appreciate the thought, but her unit are her sisters. She can’t just abandon them. She would have thought Petra of all people would understand that.

Abigail has a complicated relationship with her mother. She always makes her feel inadequate, no matter how much she tries to impress her. She’s pretty sure her mother doesn’t even really like her as a person as much as she likes the fact that she’s carrying on the Bellweather name. She’s not the most loving mother, but she’s logical. Surely she’ll be able to see that their plan makes sense.

“Abigail. What are you doing here?”

_What a warm welcome,_ she thinks, rolling her eyes.

“I missed you, too,” Abigail shoots back before swallowing hard, trying to rid herself of frustration given that she’s supposed to be convincing her mother to help, not pissing her off. “The Camarella attacked our unit. It wasn’t Spree.” She gestures to Scylla, as if she represents the organization. “We were there. We saw everything. Mom, they were using Bellweather voices. I think they were the ones who took the vocal cords. They’ve been behind all of these attacks. I saw this black box that was strapped to one of their necks when I cut their throat. They harnessed the voices to use as weapons against us.”

“They were effective,” Raelle adds.

“And I assume _you_ volunteered to be one of Alder’s biddies?” Petra poses her question to Tally expectantly. The gray haired woman nods reluctantly. “What about this one?" She's pointing at Scylla. "What is she doing here? She was supposed to be transferred.”

“I was freed, because I’m going to help. _The Spree_ wants to help,” Scylla clarifies, “The Camarella are killing **all** of us. They are the real enemy here. They and the humans are working together to wipe us off of the planet. We have a chance to stand together against them.”

Petra snorts in disbelief.

“The Spree wants to help? You _must_ be kidding.”

Raelle steps forward, toe to toe with General Bellweather, not at all intimidated. “There’s something else.” Maybe she knows already, or maybe she’s believed it was her fault all this time, just as Raelle had. “It’s my mother. She’s alive and a leader of the Spree.”

Petra’s eyes search Raelle’s, as if trying to ascertain the truth in them. She’s quiet for a long time, considering. “Why have you come to me with this, instead of to General Alder?”

While she had been told she was being given the position as head of command of the military, something had happened to change things. Petra doesn’t know the details, but there’s something fishy about it. If the girls are approaching her instead, there must be a reason. She doesn’t trust Alder. Never has. Seems to her there’s a reason for that.

“Alder puppeted the president,” Abigail explains steadily. “She was going to be sacked, so she puppeted the president to hold onto her power. Anacostia saw her do it. You can talk with her. You can trust her. She believed in Alder until this happened. She’s been a dutiful soldier, General. Alder has broken our most sacred law. She can’t be allowed to remain in her position.”

“I agree,” Petra remarks, reaching out to brush some debris from her daughter’s uniform. She’s the only one of the four still wearing her uniform, which is just so...Abigail. “I wish I could say this surprises me, but I’ve always had my eye on Alder. It seems her treachery grows worse and worse. I’m not crazy about the idea of working with the Spree. I would need to talk with Willa. Can we set something up? I will have to loop in the president, of course. If Alder doesn’t have her assassinated first, that is…does she know you’re onto her?”

“No, she doesn’t know we know about anything but the civilians and torturing Scylla,” her daughter replies, grimacing apologetically to the necromancer, who shrugs. 

The General nods, surveying the room and going over her options. She can’t have them getting caught, but she can’t put herself in a position she can’t get out of. While she’s confident she can overpower Willa Collar, she’s not as confident she wouldn’t pull some dirty trick or lay a trap for her. She has to do this the smart way.

“I will meet with Willa, but it has to be on my turf. Have her come here, tonight. Alone. You should take the night off. It looks like you could all use some rest,” her gaze falls onto Tally last, pity in her eyes. “Especially you.”

After passing on the message to Raelle’s mother, the quartet go in search of Cerce, Scylla’s surrogate mother. It proves more difficult than expected, as she no longer lives where she used to.

There is a great deal of digging involved until they discover that Cerce has been placed into some kind of medical facility. Scylla opts to bring Raelle with her, but when they arrive, they’re told Cerce can only have one visitor. It only makes sense that it be Scylla.

The two of them part ways, and Scylla enters, sadness settling deep into her chest as she sees her, a shadow of the woman she once was. She doesn’t know what’s happened to her, only that the spark has gone from her eyes. It takes her a long time to recognize Scylla, which hurts much more than it should.

“What are you doing here, dear? I’m sure you have better things to do than come see me.”

Scylla sits by her bedside, reaching for her frail hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’ve been fighting hard, as always. Cerce, I've missed you. So much has happened. I’m sorry to see that you’ve ended up here. I wish there was something I could do…” There is, technically. Raelle might be able to help. This illness seems more mental than physical, however, and she’s uncertain if the fixer’s abilities extend beyond the physical. It's worth a discussion, at least.

“There’s nothing anyone can do. I hope you’re giving ‘em hell, child.”

She laughs. “You know me,” her smile fades and she grows serious. “I came here to ask you for help. My friend sacrificed her youth for an older witch, to ensure she would live. I thought if anyone would know how to fix it, it would be you.”

“Ah, I see. Yes. There is a ceremony that must be performed. A severing. There is a book over there on my shelf,” Cerce points, her hand shaking. “Thick spine, black raised lettering. Just there. Bring it to me, please.”

Scylla does as asked, locating the book and bringing it to the other woman, who had once been her mentor. She flips through the pages, and makes a soft sound of recognition before depositing the book in Scylla’s arms.

“This is it?” She asks.

“Yes. It’s not for the faint of heart, and there’s a possibility it could go awry, but your friend can be young again, if you succeed,” the maternal witch explains sagely.

“And if we succeed, what happens to the older witch?”

_“She’ll die.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I began this fic just after the finale, not understanding what actually happened until reading an interview with Eliot. I now know that Abigail & Raelle were transported somewhere, and didn't stay in place when they came back. But if I were to follow that, it would've invalidated my plans. So I'm okay with this being semi-canon at this point!
> 
> I will be working on this continuously, until it feels finished. Thank you for reading. Please leave a comment! It really helps inspire me to continue.
> 
> If you want to chat about this story, about Motherland or anything else, feel free to reach out to me on twitter @tallycravens.


	3. Next

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love is expressed and preparations are made for the war to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate to be a spoiler, but just in case, I feel like I need to add a warning - there is a love scene between Raelle & Scylla in this chapter. It's not too explicitly detailed. For those of you who have been asking for it, I hope you enjoy reading it.

Her legs are pulled to her chest as she sits on the bench, alone with her thoughts. She hasn’t had much time to really absorb all that has happened in the past twenty four hours. Her head still aches and there’s this queasy nervous feeling in her stomach she can’t seem to get rid of. The greasy pizza they’d consumed earlier definitely isn’t helping matters.

It feels as if Scylla has been inside for a long time, and it’s getting dark. Raelle sighs, thinking maybe there’s been a shift change and nobody knows Cerce already has a visitor. She might be able to slip inside. Just as she begins to concoct her plan, she sees Scylla emerge from the entrance with a large tome in hand.

“She had what we need?” Raelle asks, earning a slow, hesitant nod from the brunette. “What is it?” She questions, recognizing there’s a reason why Scylla is so uncertain.

“Cerce told me if we do this severing ceremony, it will kill Alder.”

They both know that Tally won’t want that. It’s the whole reason she sacrificed herself to begin with. But if they carry out their intended plan and turn Alder in for her crimes, she’ll be executed anyway, and Tally’s sacrifice will be in vain. It’s a tough sell, but surely Tally can see that this is their only choice. They need her.

“She’s going to die anyway. I’ll talk to Tally.”

The two go to meet their friends at the hotel that Raelle’s mother paid for. She seemed to want them out of the safe house for some reason, and Scylla isn’t going to complain about having some time alone with Raelle after today’s...developments. When they make it to the suite, Tally’s already passed out, snoring loudly, and Abigail’s standing sentry over her, but she looks exhausted, too. She can barely hold her eyes open, but snaps to attention when the door opens, preparing herself for battle if she has to. She looks relieved to see it’s just Raelle & Scylla arriving.

“Tally wanted to tell you herself, but she’s...well, she clearly needs her beauty rest,” Abigail quips before letting out an uncontainable yawn. “Me, too, apparently. She got you an adjoining room. She thought maybe the two of you needed some alone time.” She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively, wearing a sarcastic smirk. 

It’s clear she doesn’t hate Scylla as much as she did. She’s beginning to trust Raelle’s judgment. Abigail shows them the door that connects their rooms, then instructs them to lock up as soon as they get over. She’ll be barricading both doors, just in case. Once they head to their room, Abigail does as she said she would, then climbs into bed, surrendering to sleep in mere minutes.

Now very aware of how quiet it is and how alone they are, Scylla and Raelle exchange a sheepish glance. There’s one bed, because of course there is. Tally probably requested it that way. The thought makes Raelle grin, albeit shyly.

“So…” Scylla is the first to break the silence, slipping out of her jacket and shoes and going to sit at the edge of the bed.

Raelle’s chewing on her lower lip, clearly anxious, and the sight makes Scylla’s brow furrow.

“Hey. It’s okay. We...don’t have to do anything. Just sleep,” Scylla reminds her gently, not wanting her to feel pressured into doing anything.

“I know,” Raelle answers, “Can we lay together for a while? My body is tired, but my mind isn’t. I don’t think I could even sleep right now.”

Scylla nods agreeably, and Raelle turns to unzip her jeans, her face turning pink as Scylla sees her boxer briefs, as if she hasn’t already seen her naked before. Her expression relaxes as she removes her bra, but keeps her shirt on, not realizing how confined she felt.

She crawls into the bed, beneath the covers, and snuggles close to Scylla, burying her face in her neck and drinking in her scent. Things feel almost normal for once. Despite everything that’s happened between them, Scylla still feels like home.

Scylla’s arms pull Raelle close, but she respectfully allows the shorter witch to decide the extent of their affection. It’s a small thing that Raelle appreciates, another reminder that Scylla is a good person and really does care about her. The fixer smiles as she presses her nose insistently against Scylla’s neck, and laughs when she hears her soft little giggle.

“That tickles!” Scylla explains, her hands moving to Raelle’s lower back. 

“What about this?” Raelle whispers with a mischievous grin, beginning to press slow, intimate kisses to Scylla’s neck. The next sound she hears isn’t a giggle, but instead, a moan. 

Scylla’s hands press flatly to Raelle’s back, but she doesn’t make any other movements, not yet. Raelle continues to attack her neck, her kisses growing more and more intense until she can feel her teeth sinking into her flesh. The sound she utters then is guttural and loud, and she’s pretty sure if Abigail’s still awake, she’ll be covering her head with pillows any time now.

“Touch me,” Raelle pleads, her voice muffled against Scylla’s neck. She lifts her head, red faced and breathless. “I want you to touch me. Please.”

A pleased smile comes to Scylla’s lips and she raises her brows, a low chuckle escaping her throat. “I love it when you beg,” she purrs, pulling Raelle up so that they’re face to face. She leans up and captures her lips in a bruising kiss, and when she breaks it, she flips them over, leaving Raelle on her back staring lustily at her. “I missed this,” Scylla softens, kissing her much more gently this time, one hand finding the hem of Raelle’s shirt and the other tangling their fingers together. 

It’s Raelle who initiates the next kiss, grabbing Scylla by the chin and pulling her in against her, whimpering softly against her lips. “Me too,” she confesses, shivering as Scylla’s fingers dance along her lower abdomen. It causes a fire to build up in her belly, and her entire body feels like it’s on fire. She hasn’t realized just how badly she needs this until now.

“What do you want?” Scylla asks then, breaking her dominance to check in, to ensure she and Raelle are on the same page with this.

“Everything,” she murmurs, trembling beneath the gorgeous necromancer who’d stolen her heart. Raelle’s breath catches as she feels Scylla’s lips against her jaw, peppering kisses along the scar she’d always been self conscious about. “Scylla,” she pants desperately, seizing Scylla’s hand, impatient as she guides her beneath the waistband of her underwear. “Please.”

Scylla’s following orders, wanting to give Raelle everything she needs. She doesn’t know what this means for them, but she doesn’t stop to think about it. Instead, she gives in, just as she always has with Raelle.

As her fingers curl inside of her, Raelle cries out beautifully, squeezing Scylla’s other hand still entangled with hers. Her breath is labored, her other hand grabbing onto the sheets as her head tilts backward. Scylla seeks her out, bringing their lips together intimately as she pleasures her, slowly, drawing it out so that Raelle can really enjoy herself. She deserves this. 

It’s her best apology yet, she thinks with a smirk, her tongue begging entrance into Raelle’s warm mouth. Her moan is muffled by Scylla’s lips, and she can feel the way Raelle’s trembling against her, her hips bucking upward to meet the ministrations of her fingers. It’s the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen, she realizes as she opens her eyes, watching Raelle’s face shift and change with her movements. As her thumb presses into her, the blonde whimpers, nuzzling into the crook of Scylla’s neck. 

_“Baby,”_ Scylla purrs, quickening her pace as she becomes more desperate to help Raelle over the edge. It doesn’t take much more. She very much knows what she’s doing.

Raelle comes undone before her, a frenzied mess as she rides Scylla’s deft fingers into oblivion. She blinks slowly, her chest rising and falling as she quite literally sees stars. She can taste her own tears as she licks her lips, grasping Scylla’s wrist and pulling her hand away, linking their fingers together not caring about the mess.

“Are you okay?” The necromancer whispers, having noticed the tears and growing mildly concerned. She’s terrified that Raelle’s having second thoughts, regretting letting her in like this. She needs some kind of reassurance, and like magic, Raelle seems to read her mind.

“Happy tears,” she explains with a quiet laugh. “I...am way more than okay, Scyl. That was...wow. I loved it,” Raelle promises, cheeks turning a lovely shade of pink. “I love you.”

She’ll never tire of hearing the words.

Never stop questioning if she deserves them.

If she deserves _her._

Scylla has so much to make up for, and the fact that Raelle is giving her the opportunity to do so feels like the most important chance she’s ever been given.

“I love you, too,” she’s blinking back tears. She can’t remember _ever_ being this happy.

With one last squeeze of her hand, Scylla pecks Raelle’s cheek, whispering that she’ll be right back. She heads into the bathroom to get cleaned up, leaving Raelle to sit up on the bed, admiring the rumpled sheets with a chuckle.

Scylla’s just washing her hands when she feels Raelle’s arms slip around her, chin resting on her shoulder. Her body instantly breaks out into goosebumps and she grins, not knowing what’s happening, but deciding she likes it very much.

“I don’t know about you, but I could use a shower,” Raelle murmurs, hands pressing into Scylla’s hip bones suggestively. “I need to wash this day off of me. I probably smell.”

“Maybe a little,” Scylla chuckles, and when Raelle turns around to give her a sad little look, she quickly adds, “But I like it.”

One of them turns on the shower to warm it up while the other locates the towels they’ll need to dry off. They reunite under the stream of warm water, lips coming together again and again until it feels like they’re drowning.

Ralle pins Scylla against the shower wall, her hands over her head as she kisses her harshly. Just as quickly as she began, she lets her go, then starts kissing her way down her body.

Scylla feels like she’s going to pass out. She’s weak in the knees, the glass of the shower fogged up, the only thing she can see is Raelle moving downward.

“I thought we were getting cleaned up…” Scylla hates herself for even complaining, because she’s definitely not mad about it.

Raelle looks up from her neglected breast with a smirk on her lips. “We’ll get to that,” she swears, swirling her tongue against Scylla’s nipple, causing her to cry out softly. She likes seeing her like this, at her mercy. Being dominant like this doesn’t come naturally to her, but things have shifted between them slightly.

Scylla’s more uncertain than before, not wanting to do anything wrong, which she appreciates, but she also misses the spitfire who knew her body so well. She’s determined to get that Scylla back. Tonight.

She drops to her knees, looking up at Scylla through her wet eyelashes. The brunette braces herself, grabbing onto whatever she can find as Raelle pushes her thighs apart to taste her.

It’s almost embarrassing how quickly it’s over, but she’s already worked up from the bedroom and it’s been too long. Scylla’s face is red and Raelle can hear her panting as she rises to her feet, licking her lips and fingers as if she’d just eaten the most delectable dish at a fancy restaurant. 

“Feel better?” Raelle teases before giving her a kiss, pushing in front of her so that the shower head rains down on her. She groans at the feeling of warm water hitting her skin.

From behind, Scylla finds the shampoo and begins to help Raelle lather up her hair, slowly massaging her scalp. Together they rinse the suds from her hair and Raelle insists on washing Scylla’s long locks, grinning as she pushes the shampoo away from her eyes. The act of taking a shower together is somehow even more intimate than their lovemaking, and Raelle finds it incredibly comforting as she feels Scylla brushing the lathered up washcloth along her skin. She’s so gentle, making Raelle wonder how she could have ever thought she was anything but a total softie.

“Beautiful,” Scylla remarks as they’re drying off, running her fingers through Raelle’s hair to help get out the tangles. “You smell better, too,” she adds cheekily.

Raelle places a new towel on the counter and wordlessly, she backs herself up against the sink and pushes herself up onto the counter, legs dangling as she gazes at Scylla darkly. She parts her thighs and bites her lip, just looking, waiting for Scylla to do something.

It doesn’t take Scylla long to realize what’s happening here. She’s been holding back for Raelle’s sake, to ensure she’s comfortable, but clearly she’s needing more.

She’ll never deny Raelle anything she wants.

Never.

She’s on her knees so fast she nearly hits her head on the counter, recovering quickly to settle between Raelle’s milky thighs. It’s easy to get lost in it, the taste of her on her tongue, the little sounds that keep escaping Raelle’s lips. She thinks this might just be the best day of her life.

Whatever happens next, she’s ready.

Raelle’s moan echoes in the small bathroom, signaling she’s reached her peak as her hips jolt forward of their own accord. She’s gripping the counter so tightly her knuckles have gone white, slamming the back of her head against the mirror. “Fuck,” she utters, both because that hurt and Scylla’s making her feel so good.

Raelle’s fingers relax and she leans forward, reaching out to grab Scylla by the hair, impatiently pulling her to her feet. She kisses her greedily, tasting herself on her lips as her arms snake around Scylla’s bare waist. She completely loses herself in the kiss, feeling so incredible it’s like she’s floating. 

It isn’t until she opens her eyes that she realizes they’re _literally_ floating.

“Uh, Scyl?” Raelle sounds panicked as she glances down at the floor, bumping her head on the ceiling. Scylla opens her eyes and is immediately startled. She goes to rub her neck, brow furrowing in confusion.

“Did you sneak some Salva…?” But there’s nothing there.

“No…”

Slowly, they make their way back down, just as they had when they had used the Salvia. Once their feet are firmly on the ground, they exchange a befuddled glance.

“I didn’t do anything,” Raelle swears, feeling just as confused as Scylla looks.

“I believe you, it’s just...well, _that’s_ new.” Scylla sounds incredulous, her eyes wide as she wraps a towel around herself. “Why do you think that happened?”

“I don’t know. I was feeling really happy. I didn’t mean to...apparently there are all kinds of weird things I can do now…” she trails off, because honestly, she’s more than a little freaked out by all the strange things that have been happening. She still doesn’t fully understand what happened with her and Abigail, and wonders if her powers are growing somehow.

Scylla leads them back to the bedroom and they lay down together, facing one another as they pull the covers up over their shoulders.

“What if it wasn’t just you? I was floating too...what if...it’s us?”

She’s thinking about the soulmate thing and the prophecy Raelle’s mother mentioned. They had never gotten much of an explanation about what the prophecy said and what it meant for them. It’s all a little too strange (and coincidental) not to be related.

“Things do feel different between us now. Stronger, somehow.”

“Do you trust me?” Scylla isn’t sure she can bear to hear the answer.

“Yes.”

“Maybe that’s part of it. You didn’t before.”

“Could be.”

“Come here.”

The two women entangle their bodies, lying snuggled together, soft and warm.

Scylla has never slept better.

It’s morning and the four witches are huddled together on a single bed, a book sitting in the middle. Tally is crying as her friends try to reason with her. They’re not getting anywhere.

As predicted, Tally’s refusing to do the ceremony if it means Alder will die. Abigail helpfully reminds her of all the bad things Alder has done, and those are just the things she knows of. But Tally doesn’t believe in execution, even though that’s exactly what will happen if they carry out their plan. It’s Scylla who penetrates her argument, which comes as a shock to everyone.

“You do realize that if we can’t do this, we also can’t turn Alder in, because she’ll die then too, which means we’ll _all_ die, because the Camarilla will kill us?”

_Brilliant,_ Raelle thinks. It makes too much sense for Tally to argue.

“It’s us or her. If you had to choose between me dying and Alder, who would you pick?”

“Why would I have to pick? I’d pick you, obviously...to live, but…”

“She’s going to die anyway. At least this way she won’t be tortured, and we’ll have you on our side to help. We don’t even know how this...biddification...has affected your abilities,” Abigail points out, appealing to her logical sensibilities. “You could quite literally save our asses. We need you. We have to do this, Tally, we don’t have a choice.”

Tally crumples against Abigail, frustrated because her friends are right. She doesn’t know what to say, finding that she’s out of arguments. She breaks down into tears, and is grateful as Abigail pulls her into a hug, but it only makes her cry harder.

“I didn’t want to, but I thought I should. It’s my duty. I’m _supposed_ to be selfless,” it’s difficult to understand her through the crying. “I don’t want to look like this forever!” She wails, and Abigail rubs circles against her back. “I just lost my virginity, and now I’ll never have sex again.”

Leave it to Tally to go there.

Not that she’s wrong.

They all know she won’t want to sleep with guys who look “her age,” and somehow Abigail doubts Gerit will be as eager to get down with Tally when she looks like an elderly woman. They aren’t going to argue, because whatever her reasoning, they seem to be getting through to her.

Tally sits up, wipes her eyes and looks at Scylla.

“So what do we do first?”

The ceremony requires a few ingredients which they’ll have to procure, and it calls for as many witches as possible to perform. They’ll have to run it by Raelle’s mother, but Scylla thinks that they can nab some Spree agents to make it happen. After they check out of the hotel and find the necessary ingredients., they all make their way to the safe house. Abigail and Tally are visibly uncomfortable about where they’re going, because while they understand the importance of working together, they aren’t too thrilled and still don’t trust the Spree. Hopefully this ceremony helps cement the fact that they aren’t the enemy, and that they are willing to help.

Abigail is on edge until she hears her mother’s laugh drift in from the kitchen. It reminds her that this is really happening, and this is war. Raelle makes a beeline for her own mother, with Scylla following dutifully behind. Abigail watches them with renewed interest. She’d heard a little too much last night, but she can tell that Raelle’s happier than she was. She doesn’t entirely believe the whole soulmates thing, but not because they’re not good together. More that she doesn’t know if soulmates really exist.

Scylla’s not a bad person, she’s realized. She doesn’t know what she’s been through. She’s a guarded person, with everyone but Raelle it seems. Raelle has closely guarded her secrets, leaving Abigail & Tally in the dark as to her motivations. But it seems they have all been led astray, that Spree aren’t the villains they’ve been made out to be. It’s difficult to adjust when something so fundamental is proven to be false. It’s still hard for Abigail to believe the army has been lying to her. To all of them.

Her stomach clenches as she thinks of General Alder, and subconsciously she reaches for Tally’s hand, threading their fingers together. They’re stronger together. All of them are. Abigail might not have been thrilled with her unit the day they met, but now she recognizes them for what they are, for who they are. Each with their own talents, together, they can do anything. She truly believes that, or she would’ve gone on to War College without another word.

This is forever. They are forever. Abigail can’t imagine her life without Tally and Raelle. She guesses that means Scylla, too, which she’s not crazy about...but Raelle’s happiness is important. She’ll keep an eye out for anything unusual though. Just to be safe. Raelle likes to act like a badass, but she’s soft hearted. Scylla hurt her, and Abigail will be damned if she lets her do that again & get away with it.

“Hey, you okay?” Tally breaks into her thoughts, and Abigail looks over at her with a wan smile.

“It’s a lot,” she manages, knowing the three words don’t really do much to explain what she’s feeling.

Luckily, Tally seems to get it, and she feels her thumb rubbing gently along the top of her hand, which is strangely reassuring. As weird as it is to see Tally like this, it kind of makes sense. Tally is the wisest out of all of them. In so many ways she’s naive and innocent, coming to Fort Salem a virgin, having lived without boys her entire life...but everything they’ve been through has changed her. Not to mention she’s the most skilled Knower Abigail has heard of in years.

As she gazes at her friend, she longs to see her familiar face. Smooth, unwrinkled, eyes that are gentle and soft, flowing red tresses. Staring at her now, she can’t help but notice how beautiful Tally still looks. She’s lucky. She’s going to age well.

“You know, I don’t know about Gerit, but you could still get it, Tally. You’re still hot, even though you look like you’re seventy.”

That earns a laugh and a blush from the other witch, which looks strange on an old woman’s face. She’s flattered, not knowing what to say to _that._ Maybe she’s just teasing, but it feels like Abigail is flirting with her. It makes her feel weird, but, like, in a _good_ way? She’s supposed to think of Abigail as a sister, like she does Raelle, but she’s quickly realizing she doesn’t.

“You think I’m hot?”

It’s not really the time or place for this conversation, considering...yet it’s suddenly extremely important for Tally to know the answer to that question.

“Don’t be stupid. Of course I do. You _have_ seen yourself, right?”

Tally grins, her blush deepening. Abigail’s still holding her hand, but the other moves up to poke her dimple. “Especially these. So adorable,” she adds with a wink.

“...are we interrupting?” Scylla and Raelle are standing there watching the two of them with matching expressions of bemusement.

“Oh, uh, no,” Tally stammers, and the other three can’t help but laugh at her. She really is adorable.

“We’re ready to do this thing if you guys are,” Raelle declares, looking around at each of them, to ensure they’re prepared for what is coming next. “We were told the backyard is the best place to do the ceremony, so we have room for the circle and for everyone.”

The women gather outside and the circle is prepared, with Willa leading. Everyone is holding hands, some with strangers, but there is a strange sense of togetherness. Raelle has Scylla to her left and her mother to her right. She squeezes Scylla’s hand before she focuses on her mother’s words.

“We gather here together to sever the connection between Tally Craven and Sarah Alder. Two who should have never joined. We are here with our sisters, and ask that Tally’s youth be restored. So mote it be.”

“So mote it be,” the others repeat.

Willa nods and a Spree agent takes the candle Tally has in her hand, her name carved within. There is a second candle with General Alder’s name. The two candles are tied together with a ribbon before they are lit and Willa continues, chanting.

“These two flames burn brightly together, but one consumes the other with this link between them. No more shall Tally Craven suffer from the pain brought by Sarah Alder. No more shall she be hurt by Sarah Alder. May her youth be restored, and may the pretender be cast into oblivion!”

The candles are held in front of Tally, still burning brightly. She is given a pair of scissors, and told to cut the ribbon while she chants the phrase, “Sarah Alder, I sever my ties with thee! Restore my youth so that you may be cast into oblivion!” Her voice shakes a bit at the end, as she can’t help but think this is dark magick, and it makes her feel uncomfortable.

She cuts the ribbon as Willa finishes the ceremony, separating the candles to burn out on their own, and to be disposed of separately, to ensure the connection remain severed.

“I don’t feel any different…” Tally’s saying to Abigail when she suddenly keels over, shaking viciously as if she’s having a seizure.

Abigail drops to the ground, along with Raelle and Scylla. “Is this supposed to happen?” Abigail asks, horrified.

Before anyone can reassure her, she looks down at Tally, realizing that she’s changing before her very eyes. Some red begins to return to her hair, the wrinkles start to fade, and before too long, she’s the same Tally Abigail knows and loves. She doesn’t even think about it as she helps Tally up and brings their lips together, overcome with emotion, grateful that the ceremony has been successful. As happy as everyone is, a silence overcomes them as they recognize that Sarah Alder must be no more.

Tally is breathless as she pulls away from Abigail, incredulous about the kiss she’s just received.

“What was that for?” 

“For being you,” Abigail answers simply. “I’m just happy to see your real face again.” She brushes Tally’s hair out of her eyes and smiles, realizing that her mother is watching them. She dares her to say something judgmental, but her mother walks away instead.

For once, Abigail doesn’t give a fuck what she thinks.

“Wow, you guys,” Raelle comments, positively beaming at the rest of her unit.

“Stop looking at us like that, shitbird,” Abigail warns, shoving Raelle gently. She’s mostly playing, but she doesn’t take kindly to being teased, even if it’s in a silly way.

Raelle quickly declares, “Okay, so we’re going…” and takes Scylla’s hand, walking back inside to the safe house and leaving Abigail & Tally standing in the yard, with only the still burning candles and each other to keep them company.

“Do you think she’s gone?” Tally asks guiltily.

It’s clear she feels bad for what they’ve done. But she doesn’t seem to regret it, at least not yet. Abigail doesn’t regret anything. They’ve done the right thing. Petra will step in to lead and they will work with Spree to take down the Camaralla, for once and for all.

But before they do that, she wants to sit on a bench on a starlit night with Tally Craven by her side. She’s never going to take anything for granted again.

“You’re not going to be with Gerit anymore, are you? Not since what happened with his wife?” Abigail whispers, unable to keep from sounding hopeful.

Tally wonders what this means, if the famed Abigail Bellweather is about to ask to be her girlfriend. It’s not like she’d be the first. Tally’s spent her whole life with other women. It seems as natural to her as anything.

She just doesn’t understand -- why her? Abigail can have anyone she wants. Like Adil, who likes her very much, and who is actually pretty hot, objectively.

“No. But what about Adil?”

“I didn’t kiss Adil just now. I kissed you.”

“Oh.”

Abigail slowly begins to take Tally’s hand, having forgotten she’d let go of it earlier. She threads their fingers together once more, meeting the redhead’s gaze intensely. She doesn’t want Tally to question anything. Not when they have every possibility of dying in this war.

It’s time to lay all the cards on the table.

“I don’t think you understand how incredible you are, Tally,” Abigail licks her lips, preparing herself for an impromptu speech. She’s gotten pretty good at those since Libba’s unexpected passing. “You didn’t even hesitate on the battlefield. You gave everything you had without question. You are the kindest, most selfless person I’ve ever met. We’re so different, but that’s what I love about you. I realized after seeing you make that sacrifice, that I want to be more like you. That I want to be _with_ you,” she takes a nervous breath, “If you’ll have me.”

“Yeah, okay,” Tally whispers shyly. For once in her life, she feels kinda speechless.

“Yeah, okay? That’s all you have to say to my beautiful speech? Careful, I might change my mind…” Abigail warns, but when Tally’s face falls, she grabs her and pulls her in for a kiss. This one is longer, slower, more passionate than the first. She pours everything she feels into it, because she can’t have Tally questioning things every time she makes a harmless joke.

“Don’t eavesdrop,” Raelle hisses from behind Scylla, though she’s watching Abigail and Tally over her shoulder. Or trying to, at least. The slight height difference complicates things.

Scylla pulls Raelle over by her side to give her a better view, then nudges her playfully.

“You’re doing it too,” she points out haughtily.

Raelle grumbles, “Well, they’re cute.”

“They’re okay. We’re cuter,” Scylla counters insistently, grabbing Raelle’s belt loops to bring her in for a kiss of her own. They melt into each other, nearly forgetting about all the other people nearby, including Raelle’s mother.

The blonde breaks the kiss first, realizing she’d forgotten about the floating incident last night. How the hell she could forget something like that, she didn’t know. A lot had been happening lately. Must have been the stress.

“We should talk to my mom about the floating. I didn’t even think to mention it to her.”

Scylla nods, and the two tear themselves away from the back door, finally giving Abigail & Tally their privacy. Their kisses seem to be getting hotter and heavier anyway, so it’s probably time to go. Scylla bounces as she walks, overcome with pure joy. It’s so strange, so different from what she’s used to. 

“Can we talk? Something happened last night, and I wanted to ask you about it,” Raelle’s telling her mother, gesturing to Scylla, indicating that she’s involved in what happened.

The three of them go into a bedroom for some privacy. Raelle recounts the story of what happened, conveniently leaving out the sex bits, because, well, it is her mother she’s talking to. When she’s finished telling the story, Willa has the audacity to laugh. Raelle looks mildly offended.

“I think you left something out, dear daughter,” Willa chides, “The two of you were intimate before this, yes?”

Raelle stands stock still, her face as expressionless as she can make it. Scylla nods emphatically, and Raelle glares at her like she’s a traitor. (But she’s not _actually_ mad, not really.)

Raelle's mother chuckles knowingly.

“It sounds to me like you experienced a moment of true happiness. I think it might be time for you to learn about the prophecy."


	4. Soon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prophecy is revealed, and Raelle & Scylla are encouraged to spend more time together, to strengthen their bond.

Reciting the prophecy comes second nature to Willa, who has searched & re-read each line for meaning for as long as she can remember. She had always known her daughter was special, more than the typical mother feels, but it wasn’t until she met Scylla Ramshorn that she realized the truth.

Now as she watches the two together, there is no denying it. _They will be our saviors,_ she thinks, but doesn’t dare say it aloud. It’s a lot of pressure to lay on two young women, even those as powerful as these. A smile settles onto her lips as she watches Raelle shyly reach for Scylla’s hand, and she believes she feels something shift as their fingers effortlessly lock together. They belong, in a way even she & her husband never could.

Scylla lifts her brows in questioning, giving Raelle’s hand a squeeze. Impatiently they wait to hear the words that determine their fate.

Willa takes a breath and gives a nod of acknowledgement. Stoically, the witch then begins her rhythmic recitation. As she speaks, the words ebb & flow, not unlike an incantation:

_“The Ancient Enemy shall return, but two as one may defeat them._ _  
_ _This perfect union betwixt dark and light, by many will be condemned.  
  
_ _Only with each other can they unlock the power that lies within.  
_ _In darkness, death will threaten to extinguish, until it finds its twin._

 _The light and the dark will need one another, to create the deepest gray._ _  
_ _Be warned, if these two should ever part, then shall begin the darkest day._

 _In experiencing true happiness, their power continues to grow.  
_ _Hand in hand, the love they share shall produce the most luminescent glow._

 _Together, these two must rule, with dominion over life and death.  
_ _It is then that they shall never part, until they take their final breath.”_

Raelle finds that as she listens, her mouth begins to go dry. It’s hard not to notice the similarities between this prophecy and their current situation, with Scylla representing the dark & death, and Raelle the light and life. If this prophecy really does apply, it sounds like she and Scylla are fated to stop the end of all witches.

But that can’t be right, can it? That bit about them parting...it sounds pretty doom and gloom. Come to think of it, even when they were literally parted, Raelle had never stopped loving Scylla, even in her deepest anger. 

She may have said she wished she’d never met her, but she didn’t mean it. She’d simply been trying to hurt Scylla. The way Scylla had screamed as she walked out still haunted her. There was no doubt that hurting her worked. She still felt terrible about it. All this time, Scylla had been trying to earn her trust and apologize, and Raelle hadn’t realized just how much she’d hurt her in return.

She’s ripped from her thoughts as Scylla squeezes her hand, her fingers tingling as she locks eyes with her, the woman who was clearly meant for her. Any residual anger begins to melt away as she looks at her with nothing but love in her eyes. Had she not been a mere foot from her mother, she would have gone in for a kiss. Instead, she lets out a breathless laugh.

“Wow. So _that’s_ the prophecy, huh?” Raelle remarks incredulously, still having trouble believing they could be some kind of chosen ones. Her power has been growing, however, and even more so in Scylla’s presence. As crazy as it sounds, she believes it.

It’s encouraging more than anything, a prophecy written hundreds of years ago about this very moment, predicting their success. There’s not a better moment to learn about the prophecy, either. Had she heard about it while she was still angry, it would have been far too overwhelming, and possibly driven a wedge between them. She now feels like she’s in the right frame of mind to receive the truth. She has so many other questions, but right now, she can’t think of any of them.

“The prophecy was written long ago. Though it foretold the return of the Ancient Enemy, General Alder refused to believe it. She’s always been stubborn. I wish I could have seen her leave this world...but there is no doubt we are better off without her. She has the wrong kind of darkness,” Willa explains, not feeling guilty at all for being happy Alder is gone. She looks to Scylla with a smile. “You, my dear, possess just the right kind of darkness. I knew the moment I met you who you would become. It seems you are becoming more enmeshed each day. This is good. The stronger your relationship, the stronger you are together. The more powerful you will become.”

Willa beams in pride at the two beautiful young witches before her, and what is about to come to be. “There is nothing else to be done today. Preparations are being made as we speak. We have a team of Knowers trying to ascertain where the Camarilla base is located. Once news of Alder’s demise reaches the President, Petra should receive her promotion. When that happens, she will command the troops and the Spree agents to converge on the base. You two will be at the center of it all. We will need you more than anyone. Take the time we have to deepen your relationship. I have set up a private oasis for the two of you to allow you to do just that. We’re counting on you to fulfill this prophecy, so we can exterminate the Ancient Enemy once and for all.”

Scylla can’t help but smirk because it seems as if Raelle’s mother is encouraging them to make love. Not that she’s complaining, but it is kind of awkward. Raelle’s face is noticeably red, which only makes her smirk more. 

“When will we attack the base? Tomorrow?” The necromancer asks nervously.

“No, I highly doubt it will be that soon. Petra has to be sworn in, everyone informed, and the Knowers will need time to discover the Camarilla’s location. I can’t tell you when, only that it will be soon. When it is time, we will send for you,” Willa assures her with a nod. “You are dismissed.”

Raelle hesitates, not making a move toward the door. She lets go of Scylla’s hand and throws her arms around her mother, hugging her tightly. She knows that there might be another goodbye in their future, and while the thought terrifies her, she can’t let it stop her from letting her mother know she loves her. Even if they have stuff to work out.

“I love you, mom,” she whispers, crying softly as she feels her mother run her fingers through her hair, like she used to do when she was a little girl. “I don’t want to lose you again.”

“You won’t,” Willa promises, though she has no business doing so.

It’s enough for Raelle for now, and she tearfully lets go, following Scylla, who’s lingering in the doorway to give her privacy. She hugs her, too, and the brunette wipes her tears away. She never wants to see her cry again, unless they’re happy tears.

“I love you. It’s going to be okay,” Scylla tells her quietly, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Come on, love. We should talk to our friends.” The phrase leaves her lips easily, and it isn’t until now that she realizes she’s started thinking of Abigail & Tally as her friends, too. They’ve been through so much together already. It feels they are cemented together by fate. She only hopes they feel the same about her. She can’t stand being on the outside looking in anymore.

They walk out together to see Abigail and Tally sitting comfortably on the couch. Tally is strewn across Abigail’s lap, looking like her usual, perky self. It’s such a relief to have her back. The two of them are giggling when Raelle & Scylla approach them. Happiness is a good look on them.

“Hey, shitbird, how’d it go? You were in there for a while.”

Sitting down next to their friends, Raelle recounts the prophecy as best she can. Luckily, Scylla seems to have a better memory, and corrects the few mistakes she makes. Raelle relaxes into Scylla as she feels her arms around her from behind and continues chatting amicably. It is Scylla who makes the suggestion of dinner, earning a cheer of agreement from Tally, who’s literally always hungry. 

They all laugh and say their goodbyes, to new friends and old, and head off to get something to eat. This time, they opt for the Chinese restaurant around the corner, huddling into a cozy booth together, Raelle & Scylla on one side, Abigail & Tally on the other. They’re a sight to behold, bright eyed, happy, loud. Anyone watching them never would have guessed they were about to march into war. They looked much more like a group of teenagers on a double date.

“I’m with Scylla on this one. Sorry, guys,” Tally laughs, giving her new friend a grin.

Scylla chuckles. “I knew I liked you.”

“So, you don’t have to answer this, but are you guys...together now?” Raelle poses the question to Tally & Abigail, who exchange glances. They haven’t really talked about it, but it’s written on both of their faces how they’re feeling.

“I mean, I hope so…” Tally murmurs, curling her hair around her finger and glancing nervously at Abigail, who immediately rolls her eyes in response.

“Obviously. Yeah.” Abigail answers to the affirmative, throwing her arm around Tally’s shoulder and leaning in to press a kiss to her temple. “Pretty fond of this one, actually.”

Once their meals are ordered, they fall into easy conversation, ignoring the figurative cloud overhead. They have plenty of time to worry about the battle to come. Right now they want to enjoy each other, and what little time they might have left.

“So, Scylla, Tally and I were talking about how hilarious it must have been when you met Raelle’s mother. How did you react?” Abigails asks, and Scylla is pretty sure this is the first time she’s spoken to her without lobbing an insult her way or at the very least, glaring at her.

It’s progress.

She grins. “Honestly? It probably _was_ hilarious. I’ve never been more shocked by anything in my life. The only thing I could think was, _does she know I fucked her daughter?_ ” Raelle’s face burns at that, and Scylla nudges her playfully.

“What, like we don’t already know that? You’re not exactly subtle,” Tally reminds her.

Now they _all_ start teasing Raelle, and she complains, not liking that everyone’s ganging up on her all of the sudden. Though it’s kind of annoying, it’s also nice to be the center of attention. Not to mention everyone getting along. She could get used to this.

She pouts at Scylla. “You’re supposed to be on my side, remember?”

“I am, baby, but you’re cute when you blush.”

Abigail and Tally look at each other with grins on their faces. “Baaaaby!” They repeat teasingly, causing Scylla to go scarlet this time.

“You guys are so sweet. I’m glad we don’t have to hate you anymore,” Tally sagely declares, her dimples coming into view. “Sorry, Scylla. You understand. We’re protective of our Raelle. And I’ll have you know, it was very hard to try not to like you.”

Abigail adds, “It wasn’t hard for me.”

“We know,” the other three girls say in unison.

Cue more laughter.

Their stomachs all hurt from laughing when the food finally comes. A silence falls over the table as they all stuff their faces. By the end of it, everyone’s finished but Tally, who’s finishing off what remains on everyone else’s plates. One thing stays true, Tally always has room for more.

They decide to go on a walk afterward, just to clear their minds. Tally & Scylla pair off, while Abigail & Raelle go the other direction, agreeing to meet back in the middle of the park. It might seem strange, but each couple is ready for a short break from each other...mostly so they can gush to their friend about it. It’s kind of hard to talk about your girlfriend…to your girlfriend.

“You really love her. I can tell.” Tally murmurs, appreciative of Scylla’s devotion to Raelle. She feels she owes her more than Abigail. Though Abigail was openly hostile toward Scylla, it’s Tally who saw that she was Spree. She never told Raelle, until she inadvertently saw it when they linked. “I’m sorry about how everything went down. I hope you understand where we were coming from...I’d seen you in the mirror, communicating with the Spree. I swear, I didn’t tell Raelle. I wrestled with it, I was scared and confused. I told Anacostia, because I didn’t know what else to do. Everything that happened was my fault. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s okay. Everything worked out. I’m not mad about it. Besides, I can’t imagine anyone stays angry with you for long,” Scylla chuckles. “You’ve got that face. Like a puppy, or whatever. Don’t look at me like that!” She laughs.

“You better not be flirting with me, Scylla Ramshorn," Tally warns, almost intimidating. _Almost._

“I’d never. No offense,” she adds with a smirk, “Raelle’s the one for me. I’ve never felt this way about someone before...and now to find out we’re soulmates...it’s pretty crazy. Do you think...if we ever got married one day, I mean if we survive all this, you’d be like, my maid of honor or whatever?”

“What?!”

“Sorry, I didn’t…”

Tally hugs her tightly, cheering in complete and unadulterated joy. “Uh, YES! I’ve always wanted to wear a fancy dress like that. I can just see Raelle looking all sexy in a suit. You’re thinking about asking her to marry you, really?”

“Not tonight,” Scylla explains with a grin, “But eventually, yeah.”

“Ugh, I’m so happy for you guys…”

As they continue to talk, Abigail and Raelle walk arm in arm across the park, with Abigail recounting everything that had happened with Tally. It makes a lot of sense, now that she explains it, and Raelle couldn’t be happier for her friends. 

Early on, Tally had confided in her that back home, she'd had a girlfriend, and she was pretty sure she was bisexual, but not to tell Abigail. Raelle didn’t even put two and two together as to why, but now she realized Tally must’ve been nursing a crush on Abi even then. 

She can't blame her, though. Abigail is pretty damn awesome and her confidence is the most incredible thing she’s ever seen. Yeah, she can be conceited, but she is also a kind person under all that. Not to mention a brilliant leader. She could never really see her as anything but a sister, though, so Tally doesn't have anything to worry about. 

“I didn’t even realize how much I liked her. I’m so used to just grabbing some guy and using him for sex, you know? I haven’t really had a deep connection with someone like I do with Tally. I just...thought we were friends. I had never even kissed a girl before. I get the appeal now, by the way. Much softer lips. They smell better, too,” Abigail grabs Raelle’s hand and twirls her around, sighing as they start to dance together like lunatics.

“I like you better with Tally. No offense to Adil. I’m kind of biased, though. He’s a nice guy and everything, but...Tally’s Tally.”

“And she’s so good at it, too. Being Tally.” Abigail lets Raelle spin her around too, and she’s laughing. This is the most fun she’s had in a while. “Adil’s cute and sweet and everything. But we’re from different worlds. It never would have worked with us. It’s just...so easy with Tally, you know? Like you and Scylla. You had a connection from the start.”

“Yeah, we did. I’m pretty sure I fell in love with her the day I met her.”

“You’re such a lesbian stereotype.”

“I know! I’m the worst.”

“We should head back. I feel like we’ve been gone awhile…”

Abigail doesn’t want to admit it, but she misses Tally already. Another thing she doesn’t want to admit, she’s fucking terrified. Not of this new relationship, that’s great -- but of losing Tally again. Of dying again. She’s wanted to be a soldier her whole life, but out there on the battlefield, that was real. They hadn’t been prepared for that, and she still didn’t feel ready to face the Camarilla. To do it without Alder is even scarier. She’s the only reason they held their own. A bitch the woman may have been, but she was a hell of a witch.

The quartet is brought together again, briefly exchanging their goodnights. Abigail & Tally aregoing to stay with Petra for the night, and for the foreseeable future. At least they’ll be safe there. Raelle & Scylla are going to begin their romantic getaway, if that’s what you want to call it.

After their hugs, they go their separate ways once more. They will be together soon enough on the battlefield. Hopefully all of them make it out alive this time.

“So, what do you want to do?” Raelle asks once they are alone, reaching for Scylla’s hand. It comes as second nature to her now, and it feels wrong when they aren’t touching. She can feel their shared power coursing through her now every time they touch. 

_They are going to save the fucking world._

Scylla shrugs. There’s nothing in particular she wants to do. Honestly, it doesn’t matter, so long as Raelle is with her. They have the rest of their life to do whatever they want to do.

“I’d love to just talk, if that’s okay? Nothing big. I’d like to tell you about my parents. About Circe. All the things I should have told you before.”

“I’d like that.”

The small cottage home they’re staying in is a sweet little place, the kind of place Raelle can imagine them living their lives together. She can’t help but daydream about it, realizing she doesn’t even know if Scylla wants to have children someday.

They lay together on the bed, Scylla stroking her hair as she speaks, gently and carefully. She tells Raelle about her parents, and how kind and lovely they were. Her mother was artistic, a jewelry maker and a painter. Her father was an academic. It’s where she gets her love of reading. They were Dodgers, yes, because they were pacifists. They didn’t believe in war. They wanted everyone to coexist, to be better. Raelle likes the sound of that.

She talks about what it was like losing them, how utterly alone she’d felt. Raelle holds her hand as she recalls the grief, tears in her eyes. Raelle knows how she feels all too well, having lost her mother a year ago, or so she'd thought. Scylla explains about how she'd gone to stay with an aunt. The woman was cold and treated her like a burden. She was only sixteen, and had been through more than her fair share of trauma. The last thing she needed was someone who didn’t care about her.

Not long after, Scylla was invited to live with her parents’ friend Cerce, an older woman who had always been kind to her. She could tell that the teenager was unhappy, and brought her into her home. She treated her like a daughter, taught her everything she knew about witchcraft. When Scylla came out to her, she was nothing but supportive.

Cerce wasn’t her mother. No one would ever replace her. But she was someone. At least she wasn’t completely alone. But Cerce was part of an underground group, and Scylla stumbled onto one of their meetings one night. She was invited to stay, and there, she learned about the Spree.

Things moved quickly, and before she knew it, they were asking things of her. She was in no position to say no, and she wanted to avenge her parents’ death, so she went along with it. She definitely felt bad about some of the things they had her do, manipulating people, stealing their faces, but she never killed anyone, despite what others may think. (Raelle’s relieved to hear that. She didn’t know and hadn’t asked, because she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.)

She tells Raelle about getting her orders to go to Fort Salem, and how terrified she was someone would find her out. She’d been told to befriend Raelle, to bring her to them. She had never been told to get involved with her romantically. Nope, Scylla did that all on her own. She reminds Raelle of the moment she knew she loved her, when she realized that someone finally saw her for who she was. Raelle became home to her then and there, and she had no choice.

She couldn’t deliver her to them. She didn’t know their plans for her, and maybe if she’d known about Raelle’s mother, she would’ve gone through with it. But the thought of someone hurting Raelle was too much to bear. She threw it all away for her. But the Spree weren’t happy with her. They sent her the message at the wedding, and before she could do anything, she’d been jailed and tortured.

Turns out, the only person who'd hurt Raelle was her. She apologizes again. Raelle holds her face in her hands and kisses her again and again.

“I forgive you. Please, stop apologizing,” Raelle whispers in between kisses, before stealing another two or three. “I wanted to apologize, too. The way I treated you...I was upset, but I shouldn’t have said those things. I didn’t mean any of them. When I heard how you reacted, I...actually got sick. I actually vomited just from hearing you scream like that...I can’t believe I hurt you. I'm so sorry."

“It’s okay. I know now you didn’t mean it. But you’re too good of an actress. I believed you then.”

Raelle wraps her arms around Scylla, holding her gently, brushing her hair back, whispering sweet words into her ear. She’s never going to stop telling her she loves her and Scylla’s never going to tire of hearing it. They lay there together for a while, silent and basking in each other’s presence. They’ve nearly fallen asleep when they hear a loud crash against the window. Immediately they both jump up, at the ready because they think they’re being attacked.

They follow the source of the noise outside, finding nothing. At least not until they see the bird, lying still on the ground. Apparently the sound they'd heard had been the bird flying into the window. Raelle reaches down, intending to heal the injured bird, but Scylla tells her to wait. 

“It’s not breathing,” Scylla points out before linking Raelle’s hand with her own. “Now try.”

Together, the two of them concentrate, muttering under their breath, blue eyes fixed on the unmoving fowl.

After a minute or so, it seems like nothing’s happening, but then a bright light surrounds the bird, and it gets up. They withdraw their hands and the tiny little thing looks at them, confused, before suddenly flying away as if nothing had even happened.

“Did we just…?” Raelle’s in shock. The prophecy mentioned dominion over life and death, but...they’d just brought a bird back from the dead together. This is insanity.

“Yup. Darkness and light, baby,” Scylla laughs in disbelief. She’s grown mushrooms out of animal carcasses before, but this is next level stuff.

There’s definitely _something_ to this prophecy.

After calming down from the whole ordeal, they go inside to wash their hands and join one another in bed once more. Raelle lays in Scylla’s lap as she sings to her, realizing all of her muscles have gone slack. She’s so relaxed, she couldn’t move even if she wanted to.

So, this is love.

“Do you want children?”

Raelle interrupts Scylla’s singing, and the necromancer’s eyes widen, something Raelle can see even in the dark. She leans over to turn the light back on and turns to Raelle with a genuine smile. She doesn’t know where the question came from, but she doesn’t mind. This is just the sort of thing they should be talking about.

“Yes. Definitely,” Scylla replies, stroking Raelle’s cheek. “What about you, love?”

“I think I do,” Raelle admits, leaning into her touch with a sigh. They have plenty of time, of course, but as they talk about it, the more she realizes she wants this, with her. It’s so much so soon, but their relationship has never been conventional. “How many?”

“Loads. Just...loads of kids.”

Raelle bursts into laughter. “Really?”

“For sure. Why’s that funny?”

“No, it’s not, I just didn’t expect you to say that. I think I’d like having loads of kids with you,” she borrows Scylla’s phrasing and leans up to give her a kiss, crawling onto her lap and pulling her arms around her neck. “We should probably start trying,” she teases, kissing the crown of her head.

Scylla giggles, suddenly shy, and in the light, Raelle can see the faint blush on her cheeks. She’s utterly breathtaking, and she’s overcome with love and devotion for her.

“You do know you can’t _actually_ get me pregnant, right?” Scylla jokes, taking Raelle’s hand and placing it on her flat belly. 

Raelle rubs her there and then tugs up her shirt a little, leaning down so that she can kiss her bare stomach. Scylla giggles again, this time because her lips tickle against her skin. “Doesn’t mean I can’t try,” her words are muffled against her stomach, and then Raelle goes lower.

They’re getting good at this, Scylla thinks as she watches Raelle make her way down to her thighs, reaching up to unfasten her jeans. Scylla helps her remove them and quickly takes off her shirt as well, leaving her mostly bare for the woman she loves.

“If we’re having kids, we’ll need to get married. We can’t have bastard children running around.”

“Of course we’ll get married. Abigail will be my best man. She’ll be thrilled.”

“You’d look so fuuuucking hot in a suit.” The word is stretched out because, well, Raelle’s using her mouth for something other than speaking now, and ye gods, it feels good.

They stake their claim on the bed, christening it quite a few times with their lovemaking. Hours later and their faces are red, hair a mess, and their mouths, wrists & jaws sore from all the movement. Exhausted, they fall into sleep easily, nestled in one another’s arms.

Raelle finds she sleeps better with Scylla by her side. She has nice dreams, dreams about their wedding, their adorable children...an entire lifetime together. 

She wakes up with a smile on her face and finds the bed empty. Pouting, she throws on her boxers and her shirt, and wanders around to find Scylla.

She’s in the kitchen in her panties, prancing around as breakfast cooks on the stove. When she sees Raelle watching her, she jumps and tries to cover herself, laughing a little.

“Oh, nooo. I was going to surprise you with breakfast in bed. You weren’t supposed to wake up yet.”

“If this is what life is going to be as your wife, sign me up right now,” Raelle remarks, slipping behind her, arms around her waist. “I could get used to this.”

“Me, too.”

They make out in front of the stove, until Scylla pulls away cursing. “The bacon!” She cries, desperate to rescue it before it’s a blackened mess.

She manages to salvage it, and the two eat at the kitchen table together, talking about everything and somehow, nothing, all at the same time.

Scylla hopes that every morning is like this from now on. She’s lived her entire life without Raelle, and now that she has her, she’s not going to let her go. And she isn’t going to stop spoiling her, either. She deserves it.

After breakfast comes dessert...of a different sort, of course.

They can’t keep their hands off of each other. Scylla’s pretty sure this is what Raelle’s mother had in mind for them, but she won’t mention it because she knows how mortified she’ll be.

They are more connected than ever, though, knowing each other’s bodies, what makes the other’s toes curl. Once they’ve gone a second round, they doze on the couch. 

It feels strange not doing anything. 

No training. No battles. 

Just Raelle and Scylla.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, based on what I'm planning on happening, this will either end up being 5 or 6 chapters. We've got the big battle coming up soon, and then I'll be wrapping things up not long after that. As always, let me know your thoughts! I love hearing about your favorite parts, and what you'd like to see in future parts.
> 
> Be sure to check out my new AU Raylla fic if you haven't yet! You can read it here. https://archiveofourown.org/works/24347089
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	5. Power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls decide to 'recharge' and strengthen their power the best way they know how.
> 
> (Sex. It's sex. Sorry.)

In her time at Fort Salem, Tally had only met one or two other Knowers, but now she’s working with over a dozen of them, all trying to hone their powers to discover the Camarilla’s base. It’s thrilling and she can feel her power growing with the support of these mentors. They teach her more about how to get in tune with herself and her visions, and it begins to come even more naturally to her. She isn’t the only one who is growing stronger.

She looks to Abigail with pride, beaming at how far she’s come with battle magic and hand to hand combat. Her storm generation is like nothing she’s ever seen before. Abigail Bellweather is formidable, and Tally’s relieved to know she can handle herself on the battlefield. That time is coming sooner than they all realize. She can feel it in her bones.

Abigail’s mother received news earlier that day about her impending promotion, just as they’d all suspected. She’s due to meet with the President soon. Everything is shaping up the way they’ve planned, which makes them all feel a bit uneasy. Something is bound to go wrong.

The connection between Raelle & Scylla has grown even stronger, their witches marks aglow in a way Tally’s never seen before. Their touch is electric, and she’s heard they actually brought a bird back to life. They’re going to try their powers on some other bigger animals, hoping that if it comes to it on the battlefield, they’ll be able to resurrect their fallen comrades.

Raelle’s mother is a force to be reckoned with. Tally doesn’t know her all that well, but the way she commands a room is incredible, and she’s certainly on par with Petra. It’s clear where Raelle gets her talent, and why she and Abigail make such a great team. Tally imagines that Petra and Willa were quite the dynamic duo back in the day, and it’s a joy to see them working together now, falling into old patterns.

The lines between Spree and Soldier are thinning more than ever. Once Petra takes charge of the military, she will introduce the two and brief them on the mission. The Knowers are getting very close, having zoned in on a particular region on the map. It’ll be another day or two, max. The anxiety is palpable in the air, which makes things more difficult for Tally, who has no choice but to feel the emotions of those around her.

Luckily, Abigail & Raelle both seem to notice her discomfort. They each take a hand, with Scylla holding Raelle’s other one, of course, and they head out to the back yard to get some air. Things feel so serious inside, and Tally feels like she can’t breathe.

“Oh, thank you, I was so close to just...losing it,” Tally admits with a laugh. Abigail squeezes her hand supportively, and then Raelle does the same. Scylla gives her a nod.

The necromancer responds, gazing affectionately at the redhead. She’s much warmer than Tally could’ve ever guessed. “I get it. The energy in there is intense. Not that it shouldn’t be, considering everything...but it’s a lot. It’s normal to need a break. We have been training all day.”

Raelle starts to grin and the other three look at her suspiciously. Before they can ask her what she’s planning, she begins to tell them.

“I think Scylla and I should show you guys what we’ve been practicing.”

Scylla sighs, acting annoyed, though she never really can be annoyed with Raelle. “That sounds like more training, but sure...what did you have in mind?”

“I know a place. Let’s go.”

Tally & Abigail aren’t fully aware of what they can do together. Tally is intrigued because she loves surprises, and she’s heard that Raelle & Scylla are insanely powerful. She hasn’t had a chance to see what they can do, but whatever it is, must be impressive.

The four girls walk through the woods together, the taller of the four having no idea what they others are looking for. On the other end of the woods is a road, and at the side of that road is a dead deer. Likely roadkill after someone hit it. Tally looks away, trying to ignore the flies buzzing and the rancid smell.

“Ahem.” Scylla clears her throat dramatically as she and Raelle go to stand in front of the animal. They link hands and get down on their knees, laying their hands together on the deer’s side.

Abigail gags. “You’d better wash your hands, you shitbirds, or you’re gonna smell like shit, too.”

Raelle rolls her eyes and tells her to be quiet so they can concentrate. Tally turns back to watch, her chin buried in Abigail’s shoulder. They watch as Raelle & Scylla begin to chant, eyes closed as their words are spoken in unison. That in itself is impressive, but there’s light coming from their hands, a warmth that they put into the deer. It’s hard to explain the why of it, but it becomes clear to Tally what they’re doing.

It’s the most incredible thing she’s ever seen.

As the deer starts blinking, Raelle & Scylla back away, not wanting to startle the creature. It slowly begins to get up, gingerly, as if it believes it’s still hurt. There’s not a mark on it, and the flies have already moved on. Not only have they healed the deer’s wounds, they’ve brought it back to life. She’s never known anyone who could do this. It brings tears to Tally’s eyes.

“Oh, wow. I had no idea. You guys, that was beautiful,” Tally sniffs.

Abigail is inclined to agree. “Really cool. I’m guessing that’s what the prophecy was on about life and death? I assume you’re training to bring soldiers back?”

“Yeah, exactly,” Raelle nods, beginning to tell the story of how she & Scylla had discovered their powers, and how their connection had grown, allowing them to bring back larger and larger animals. They’d tried a deer earlier on with no success. It’s clear they’ve grown their powers.

Tally interrupts, her face flushed with joy, still stunned from her friends’ display. “If you guys can bring dead creatures back to life, what else can you do? Do you think…” Her voice drops lower, because what she’s about to say is rather taboo, or at the very least, strange. “Maybe you could make a baby?”

“What?!” Abigail laughs, because it truly is the most ridiculous thing she’s ever heard. After a moment of thinking over, she asks incredulously, “... _can_ you?”

“Uh...we don’t know? We haven’t exactly...tried.” Scylla’s expression is one of bemusement as she recalls the conversation she’d had with Raelle about having children.

“We don’t know if we can make something out of nothing. Even if we could...now’s not really the best time,” Raelle points out, chewing on her lip nervously. It’s a weird thing to be discussing.

Tally crosses her arms and glances at each of them. “It wouldn’t be making something out of nothing. It would be creating a life, out of love. Your love. That’s the most beautiful thing of all. Not that the deer resurrection wasn’t beautiful,” she adds with a grin. “Just something to consider, that’s all. It probably is bad timing.”

“If we survive, we’ll discuss it,” Scylla promises, giving Tally a playful wink.

  
  
  
  


The food at the safe house is incredible, the combination of cooks and subsequent foods they create enough to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. Even the long dinner table isn’t quite big enough for all the guests, so they’re scattered throughout the home and some out back, stuffing their faces in preparation for the war to come.

They all make themselves absolutely miserable, all except Tally, who licks her lips and turns to her friends with a chipper question, “What’s for dessert?”

Bellies full of dinner, all sit together on the floor for a power ceremony, joining hands and chanting in unison. It’s intended to increase their connection to one another, which has grown in recent days. They are also sending good vibes to Petra, who’s officially meeting with the President now. It’s only a matter of time before they receive word that Petra has taken over the military. At that point, they expect to be summoned to Fort Salem. It won’t be the first time Spree agents were there, but it would be the first time they openly expressed themselves. Hopefully the soldiers could let things go. Petra would make a rousing speech to convince them. She’s quite good at speeches, it’s where Abigail gets it from.

“I wonder what Libba would think of all this…” Abigail muses, thinking of her former rival with a fond expression. “I still can’t believe she’s gone.”

“I liked watching you two spar. Literally and verbally,” Tally remarks, grinning. “It was kinda hot, actually. You’re hot when you’re competitive.”

“Libba was pretty hot, too.”

None of them expect the statement from Scylla of all people, but it makes them laugh, especially Raelle, who’d said the same thing recently. 

Their laughter is interrupted by the sudden appearance of Willa Collar, looking both stoic and proud. She gestures for all to gather before she addresses the group. She stands tall, ever the picture of a dutiful soldier. Despite leaving the military, the military had never quite left her.

“Silence,” she chastises a few that are still chattering.

It grows instantly quiet, a testament to her commanding presence.

“Much better. I’ve just heard from Petra. She is officially in charge of our military!”

The girls begin stamping their feet as they were taught to do, and a few of the Spree look questioningly at them before Willa follows suit. Soon, they’re all stamping their feet in celebration, their plan has come to fruition.

“All we are waiting for is for word to come to Fort Salem. Once we receive those orders, we will pack up and go. The Knowers are hours from discovering the Camarilla base. We believe we are prepared to launch the attack at first light, the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow will be dedicated to intense training, honing of your powers, and strengthening of your connections,” her eyes fall to her daughter and she smiles. 

“I have no doubt of our might. We shall be victorious. The other Spree cells will be joining our call. The military and the Spree joining together will make us unstoppable. We will defeat the Camarilla, and remind the civilians who is _really_ in charge here.”

Willa pours herself some red wine and drinks deeply from the goblet. 

“We have plenty of wine to celebrate. Just don’t partake too much. You don’t want the training to be any harder than necessary, believe me.” There’s an audible chuckle amongst the witches. 

“I could not have done this without you. Each one of you has a part to play in this battle. I want to thank all of you for your sacrifice and for your dedication to the cause. Not everyone will make it. Look around. Remember the faces around you. Tomorrow might be the last time you see each other. Tonight, enjoy each other. I think we all have a few ideas as to how we can do that…” This time she looks at Scylla, and tips her head in silent acknowledgment. 

“Take care of yourselves and congratulations! You did this!”

Raelle & Tally run off to get their wine glasses, leaving Abigail and Scylla within the crowd.

“I’m pretty sure Raelle’s mother was just telling you to bone her daughter,” Abigail points out with a wry grin.

Scylla chuckles. “Yeah, that’s the message I got. Easiest mission ever,” she winks, and nudges Abigail playfully. It’s so much easier now that she doesn’t hate her anymore. She’d even say that they’ve become friends, even if it’s reluctantly so.

Abigail studies Scylla’s face carefully, and the necromancer stays silent under her steady gaze, curious what exactly she’s thinking. But as usual, she doesn’t have to wait long to hear it. Abigail’s never shy about sharing her thoughts and feelings.

“You two would have beautiful blue eyed children. Powerful, too, I’m sure. I know we were all joking about it before, but for the record, I think Raelle would be a great mom. You might, too. I don’t know you that well. I do know you’d do anything to keep Raelle happy. I like that about you. She deserves that. What I’m saying is...I approve. But I do have one tiny, possibly extremely invasive question…?”

“Ask your question,” Scylla smirks.

“Would you carry the baby? It’s just, Raelle’s so tiny, and you’ve got those nice child bearing hips...it only makes sense.”

Scylla gapes, closing her mouth again in stunned silence.

“I...can’t say I’d thought that much about it. You guys are certainly pushing for it, though. I’m flattered, Abigail, but it’s not the time. I can’t think about having children with Raelle when I don’t know for sure we’ll both make it through this. I want to believe in the prophecy, but they’ve been wrong before. Besides, it basically says we’ll die at the same time. Maybe we both die in battle. I don’t know. I just...can’t allow myself to want this until I know the world would be safe for any hypothetical child we have. It just isn’t safe for witches right now.”

“I’m sorry. You’re right…”

Before Abigail can properly form a response, Tally and Raelle bound up to them, each carrying two glasses of wine, giving one to her partner. Scylla’s eyes widen and she takes the wine, downing it quickly. The heavy topic makes her want to numb things just a bit, the intensity almost too much to bear. Raelle slips her arm around her girlfriend’s waist and Scylla leans into her without even thinking about it.

“You okay?” Raelle whispers into her ear, pressing a teasing kiss to her neck.

Scylla replies, just as softly, “Of course. Just thinking.”

“About?”

“You. Us. How lucky I am to be with you,” Scylla’s response is sheepish and she’s blushing again. She wonders if Raelle will always have this effect on her. She never used to be so soft and romantic, but now she’s become a total sap. She’s not even mad about it.

“I’m lucky, too,” Raelle carefully adds, finishing up her glass of wine and moving to put both of their empty glasses down. She then offers her hand to her girlfriend. “We should dance. We never got a chance to, at Beltane.”

“Okay, sure.” She can’t wipe the smile off of her face.

They’re all feeling giddy and just the slightest bit wine drunk, swaying together to nothing at first, until someone comes out with a guitar, and another begins singing. Scylla can’t keep her hands to herself, allowing them to roam all over Raelle’s body. She’s feeling some type of way and it isn’t just the wine. It’s the sense of impending doom that makes her want to forget. She wants to lose herself in Raelle again, and it doesn’t hurt that every time they’re intimate with each other, their connection grows stronger.

“Mmm, what are you doing?” Raelle warns as she feels Scylla’s hand slip into the back pocket of her trousers. 

“....nothing,” Scylla feigns innocence, causing Raelle to roll her eyes.

“You’re _so_ bad.”

The necromancer smirks cockily.

“You love it.”

Tally is lost in dancing with Abigail, but her girlfriend’s eye is wandering to Raelle & Scylla, watching them with interest. Like Scylla, the incoming battle has her feeling a certain type of way. There’s one surefire way to boost her power. As she recalls Beltane, and the two delicious men she’d brought into bed with her, she remembers how much stronger she was with two partners rather than one. She knows it’s a touchy subject with Tally after what happened with Gerit, though, so she’s hesitant to bring it up.

When Tally follows her gaze, she realizes what Abi is looking at. She pulls back enough to study her face, realization dawning over her. Abigail doesn’t even have to ask.

“Really? You think…?”

Abigail shrugs. She’s not going to be ashamed of having needs.

“Should we ask them?” Tally’s voice is hushed, face flushed with excitement. Truth be told, this isn’t the first time she’s noticed how beautiful both Raelle and Scylla are. She’s never considered this, but she’s comfortable with the idea. She trusts all three of them. This is different than the situation with Gerit. Here she’s being given a choice.

She’s surprised to find just how much she _wants_ this. She’s learned so much about herself in the past several months. _The beast has been unleashed,_ she thinks with a giggle.

“Hey, so,” Abigail cuts in on their dance, figuring she might as well ask, the worst they can do is say no. “Tally and I were wondering if we could go home with you tonight. 

“For...purposes.” Tally adds helpfully.

“Purposes?” Raelle repeats, and though she understands what they’re asking, she can’t help but tease Tally for the way she’s constantly beating around the bush.

“Sex purposes, right?” Scylla clarifies, looking from Abigail to Tally.

Abigail nods, and the redhead murmurs, “Basically, yes.”

It’s quite the proposal. The couple needs a moment to discuss, talking about boundaries, whether this will cause any jealousy or not, and ultimately, they come to a decision together. They’re both sexually fluid people, and while they are dedicated to one another, there’s no harm in having fun. They both mention the boost to their power, which is a nice benefit. After talking it over for a moment, Raelle steps forward to make her announcement.

“You can come home with us.”

  
  
  


They’re barely in the door before Raelle and Scylla are making out, leaving Abigail and Tally both amused and aroused. They haven’t discussed who will be doing what with who, and figure it’s just best to go with the flow.

It’s Abigail who makes the first move of the two, and slips in behind Scylla, pulling her arms around her waist and pressing a kiss to her neck. That earns her a moan and Tally hums in approval, mirroring her girlfriend’s actions by doing the same to Raelle.

Only Tally never does anything halfway, so she can’t keep her hands to herself. She slips her hand between Raelle’s thighs, gasping as she realizes she can feel her warmth through her trousers. The blonde tilts her head back, leaning onto Tally’s shoulder as she watches Scylla and Abigail share their first heated kiss.

There’s desire and power buzzing in the air through between the four witches, finding new connections and strengthening the others.

Tally reaches forward to unfasten Raelle’s pants, and the blonde turns around, pulling her in for a kiss. The redhead happily reciprocates, moaning softly as she feels Raelle’s hand against her bare inner thigh, having hiked up her dress.

Raelle pauses, looking to Scylla. They both nod, and without breaking the kisses they’re sharing, guide the girls back to the bedroom. Clothing is quickly discarded and no one’s shy about it. The floor is covered in various dresses, panties and jackets.

Raelle lets out a soft sound of shock as Tally pushes her down onto the bed and climbs on top of her like some kind of sex goddess. She’s never seen this side of Tally. She’s so....wild and untamable.

She wonders what it’s like with her and Abigail. They’ve surely already slept together by now. But she’s ripped from her thoughts as Tally eager goes south, bringing Raelle’s legs over her shoulders before she buries her mouth against her.

Abigail has Scylla on her back, too. The necromancer reaches over to take her girlfriend’s hand, linking their fingers before surrendering into a low moan. Abigail’s deft fingers are inside of her, and she’s in absolute heaven.

Raelle squeezes her hand and Scylla’s hips lift up off of the bed. Abigail’s smirking cockily, watching Scylla’s facial expressions as she changes her speed and level of pressure, trying to find the right combination.

“Oh, fuck,” Raelle’s panting, rolling her head to the side. She tugs on Scylla’s hand, and both couples move closer to each other so that Scylla and Raelle can share a kiss.

As Scylla’s tongue enters Raelle’s mouth, Abigail admires Tally, her hair a mess as she throws herself into pleasuring Raelle. She’s an all or nothing girl, which Abigail can appreciate.

It isn’t much longer until both Scylla and Raelle are coming undone, faces flushed as they revel in the endorphin rush. Abigail immediately pins Tally to the bed, kissing her so fiercely that even Scylla is shocked. She can taste Raelle on her lips, which causes an unbearable ache between her thighs. As if reading her mind, Raelle is right there, one hand tangling in Tally’s hair, the other slipping right where Abigail needs it most.

Scylla takes a minute just to watch, because it’s a beautiful sight. She doesn’t have an ounce of jealousy as she observes the unit quite literally coming together. She smirks as she tries to decide what to do next, but she doesn’t have to think about it, because Tally’s crawling toward her. The last thing she sees is Abigail riding Raelle’s fingers.

Tally is so intense, it’s remarkable. She never would have guessed. She’s holding her gaze as she guides Scylla’s hand down her body. The necromancer grins, stealing a kiss before giving prompt attention to each breast, suckling one nipple, teeth barely brushing the other. She’s...well, very loud, Scylla realizes quickly. The first moan she earns causes Raelle to stop in her tracks and look over at her.

Impatiently Abigail grabs Raelle’s wrist, forceful in her desires. It’s so hot letting Abigail take what she wants from her. She’s dominant as hell, and honestly? Raelle’s in fucking heaven. She presses her thumb against her and leans up to bite Abigail’s neck, having every intention of leaving a mark. The height difference complicates things, but they make it work.

“Mmm,” Tally glances down at Scylla between her thighs and threads her fingers through her dark locks, holding her in place as she begins to pleasure her with her tongue. While she loves Abigail, and doesn’t want anyone else, she has to admit...Scylla is very good at this.

Abigail and Tally have a simultaneous release, looking to each other in time to exchange their breathless (first) I love you’s.

The girls are nowhere near finished. The power in the room only continues to grow as they explore each other’s bodies, appreciating every inch. Tally’s like a little Energizer bunny, and at one point, she has all three of them giving her attention. She’s preening with unadulterated joy and pleasure.

There’s no question that they’re taking care of each other, and that there is real love between all of them. This connection is undeniable, and through tonight’s actions, each girl’s powers are invariably strengthened.

It’s Raelle who’s down for the count first, but it doesn’t take long for the others to lose steam. All four of them eventually peter out and lay down together, limbs strewn together. Raelle’s head is buried in Scylla’s chest, and her girlfriend is threading her fingers through her hair, unfastening her braids carefully, lovingly.

Abigail watches them with renewed appreciation, then turns to Tally for her goodnight kiss.

The next morning, the girls awaken refreshed and ready for their day of training. Abigail has already gotten into contact with her mother to receive orders, and she and Scylla are teaming up to make their girlfriends breakfast while they sleep.

They only have a few hours before they have to report. The nerves between the two brunettes are palpable. Rather than discuss their fears, they have ridiculous conversations, and it’s their laughter that ends up waking up their girlfriends.

“What are you guys doing?” Raelle asks as she enters, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

“Aww, they’re making us breakfast! I knew I loved you,” Tally grins, giving Scylla’s ass a playful tap before coming to greet her gorgeous girlfriend.

“Love you, too,” Abigail chuckles, “But I bet you love bacon more. I made extra for you.”

“Mmm, perfect, thank you.”

After eating, their energy way up. They’re each pumped up for their training. Raelle suggests they go for a run, but Tally wins out with her shower suggestion. Unfortunately, they run out of hot water before they’re done, but it’s fun nonetheless.

Before they know it, they’re marching out, bound once more for Fort Salem. It’s strange being back there. They’re all such different people now. But the biggest difference of all is their strength. Last night has supercharged each of them, and they might need a quick top off tonight, but they feel prepared for the fight to come.

Each focuses on bettering their particular talent for the longest period of time, but they also work on other things, from battle magic, to hand to hand. They throw knives, wield their scourges, and eventually go for a run. By the end of it, their muscles are aching and they’re sweatier than they’ve ever been.

But they’re strong.

And they’re ready.

Now that they know where the Camarilla base is, they discuss the plan for attack. Everyone divides up to go stay in the dorms, while a few stay behind to stand guard. 

At first light, they march to war.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't sure whether to go /there/ or not, but the consensus of my Twitter followers was YES, do it! So I hope it doesn't bother any of you too much. This is the penultimate chapter. The end is nigh and all that.
> 
> As I've mentioned a couple times, a sequel is in the works. It'll be a bit of a flash forward, time wise.
> 
> If you'd like some input into future fics, or have something you'd like to request when I begin doing fic requests, remember to follow me on twitter, @tallycravens
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	6. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time for war has come.

Petra Bellweather and Willa Collar stand together at the head of their newly merged troops. Hundreds of witches wait with bated breath for their orders.

They intend to march together to defeat their common enemy, whose base is located cliffside. This battle is about to begin, and as much as they have all prepared, none feel ready for whatever is about to happen. They have the benefit of surprise, but no real understanding of their enemy’s true numbers or what will lay ahead of them. 

Petra addresses the group first, providing instructions for how they will march upon the base. The troops will branch off into four subsections, each to march to the base from a different cardinal direction. She reminds them that there may be traps set up to protect the base, and not to let down their guard.

After finishing her instruction, she surrenders the floor to Willa, who speaks directly to each specialty. They have been divided to be equally distributed amongst their teams. Each group has multiple Fixers, as they must prepare for injuries and worse, casualties. This is war. There is no avoiding the fact that some of them will die.

Abigail, Raelle, Scylla and Tally are all in the group attacking from the East quadrant. They are being kept together due to their strong connections, as most established units have been kept together in their respective groups. As their leaders’ addresses draw to a close, they stand at attention, ready to break off into their assigned quadrants. The Southern group is the first to head out, followed by the West, then the East, and lastly, The North.

It doesn’t take long for the action to begin. The West group is spotted first, and the battle commences.

Despite the distance, Raelle can hear everything. She can’t tell how many there are or if they’re winning. She looks to Scylla, who grabs her hand and they fall in step together. There is a swell in their stomachs as they try to mentally prepare themselves for what’s next. There is only so much they can do to prepare themselves, however.

The Northern group is getting battered hard. There are multiple landmines buried at the front of the base, the singular entrance point. They can all hear them exploding and the sounds of screams echoing in the wind.

Tally tries her best to ignore it, to tune all the sounds out, but she’d be lying if she said she's okay. She’s terrified and sad and despite being a Knower, she doesn’t feel like she knows much of anything. 

As they move closer to the East, there are maybe a dozen Camarilla waiting for them, beginning a period of rapid fire Seeds and hand to hand combat. Scylla kicks one of them in the face, knocking them to the ground. Getting behind them, she puts them in a headlock, unable to breathe. She only lets go when she’s sure they’re dead.

The group focuses on destroying the objects hanging around their necks, the objects that have allowed them to steal and distort the Bellweather voices. Abigail slits one of her enemy’s throats, wearing a smile, her eyes shining. She’s made for this. In triumph, she obliterates the last of the devices and orders her group to forward march and further advance.

The Western group has begun to aid the North, where many soldiers have been badly injured. Raelle knows they’ll need more Fixers, but her mother had been imperative about not splitting from her group. They are stronger together, and they are needed here. It goes against her very nature not to help someone who needs her.

One of the Camarilla sneaks behind Scylla, and Raelle lets out a shriek as they grab her. She springs to action quickly as Scylla struggles, being choked from behind. Raelle stabs them fiercely in the head, blood pouring like a stream as the Camarilla loses its grip on Scylla’s throat. She can hear her coughing, and they join hands, chanting in unison as they successfully knock out the remaining Camarilla left in the vicinity. 

They still don’t know how many are left inside.

“Are you okay?” Raelle whispers as they start toward the entrance, looking to Scylla with concern.

“I’ll be fine. It’s definitely going to bruise.”

“Let me--”

“No. Don’t waste anything on me. There are others who will need it much more,” Scylla reminds her gently.

Raelle lets out a soft _“I love you”_ and Scylla echoes the sentiment as they follow Tally and Abigail inside the base.

It’s dark and quiet, much too quiet.

There’s no way the base has been abandoned already.

The idea that they’ve already won doesn’t seem real.

A gnarled hand reaches out and grabs Tally by the hair. The Camarilla slams her harshly onto the ground, and it’s seconds before Abigail is on him, having the situation under control. She slams him into the ground over and over as Tally is struck by the sheer brutality of everything. Her head is aching, but at least she isn’t bleeding very much.

She gets to her feet and uses one of her Seed sounds on another enemy, screeching loudly. As he’s taken care of, Tally has a flash of something, and yells loudly enough for all to hear,

“PLAGUE DARTS!”

Many of them duck down, but not all have the opportunity to do so if they’re in the midst of hand to hand combat.

Seconds later, Raelle hears the telltale sound of the plague darts whizzing around them, piercing the skin of her fellow soldiers. She glances around, making sure each of her friends is safe before pressing on. Her heart hammers loudly in her chest as they work to clear each room, taking out targets, oftentimes searching for them.

She wants to heal those who need it, but there’s not time yet. They have some time before they need immediate attention. If they don’t finish fanning out and taking out all of their enemies, more could be hurt.

She’s just entering a new room when she feels a sharp pain in her shoulder. She's been stabbed. It's not the first time, and it certainly doesn't hurt as bad this time around. Raelle spins around to hit her assailant in the chest, feeling the hard breastplate hidden underneath. 

Before she can utilize one of her Seeds, she hears the high frequency screech and she and her fellow soldiers drop to the floor. 

Lucky for them, they don’t need their powers to decimate the Camarilla.

The four of them team up, knocking their enemy to his knees. Each of them deliver blow after blow until he’s spitting up blood and his chest likely bruised from the brute force. They do enough damage to the breastplate that they can finally use their powers again. 

Together the Eastern group uses one of their battle seeds in perfect unison. The seed had been taught to them by Raelle’s mother the previous day.

It’s a gruesome sight, but it’s effective.

The heads of all Camarilla within a hundred feet of them promptly explode.

Each of them are covered in blood, guts and muck. It’s disgusting, but it feels like the tides are changing. The remaining Camarilla are visibly frightened. Some are starting to surrender.

“Yeah, sorry, we’re not taking prisoners,” Abigail declares as she snaps the neck of one woman pleading for her life.

As things begin to calm down, Raelle has the opportunity to help heal some of those who have been injured. She ignores her own injury, the dagger still buried in her shoulder. She has enough sense not to remove it yet, though it aches desperately.

She feels Scylla’s hand slip into hers to aid her in the healing, and with her help, it proceeds much more quickly.

Raelle doesn’t know when it happened, but Abigail has quite the nasty cut on her jaw. She heals it easily with Scylla’s help before her girlfriend ushers her over to some other Fixers to be healed herself.

As the dagger is pulled out of her body, she lets out a loud scream, lying on the floor and staring up at her comrades as they chant over her, laying hands directly on the wound.

She lets out a breath when the wound has been healed and Scylla helps her to her feet. Her neck is beginning to bruise, the outline of the Camarilla’s hand bright against her pale skin.

They double back, checking every inch of the base again, sure that the other groups are doing the same outside. 

Parts of the base are on fire, and they’re all getting overheated. Once the area is secured, they all begin to file out of the base, panting and visibly tired, sweat pouring down their foreheads, some bleeding superficially. 

Those who are injured are carried out by others, getting them as far from the flames as they can so that they can be looked after by the Fixers.

There are bodies littering the ground out front, some soldiers, other Camarilla. Some bodies are unrecognizable due to the damage they sustained.

It’s difficult to look at it. But all important things are.

It is Petra who declares victory on behalf of their army. Willa’s been gravely injured, and there is a group of Fixers surrounding her. 

Raelle pulls Scylla along with her to assist as Petra addresses the troops, congratulating and thanking them, and paying respects to those who had died defending them. It will take time to retrieve all the bodies, but they will ensure they have a proper burial.

There’s no way of knowing for sure if any Camarilla have escaped.

Surely, if any had, their numbers would be too few to do any further damage.

Tally feels as if she can breathe again. She tackles Abigail, hugging her and crying, because she’d been so terrified one of them might end up dying. “I can’t believe we all made it,” she whispers as Abigail pulls her in for a passionate kiss.

“I can. I knew we would.”

“I thought I was supposed to be the Knower in this relationship.”

It was nice to be able to laugh again.

Raelle and Scylla aren’t laughing at all. Willa’s injuries are severe, and while they have hope that they can heal her, it doesn’t feel good seeing her mother being impaled by a sword. 

They don’t have long before it’s too late, and they all chant loudly, pulling the sword from her body. Raella and Scylla are the only ones who lay direct hands on Willa, but they take a hand of another Fixer, and on and on until the circle completes.

Raelle is panting, exhausted, not used to healing so many people and such serious injuries in such quick succession.

As Willa’s wound closes, so do Raelle’s eyes. 

She’s unconscious, but Scylla’s still awake. She doesn’t understand what’s just happened, if Raelle was somehow pushing harder than all of them, taking it all on herself. She holds Raelle’s head in her hands, pushing her hair out of her face, whispering to her that she loves her. She kisses her gently, willing her to wake up.

While she’s only out for a few minutes, it’s far too long for Scylla’s comfort. When she wakes up, she sees Scylla sobbing over her, and she’s both shocked and confused. She didn’t even realize she’d passed out until someone told her.

“It’s okay. I’m okay. Scylla, baby, it’s alright…” 

She’s trying to calm her down, but her girlfriend is completely hysterical. She hasn’t had to lose somebody in quite some time, and she’d been terrified that Raelle wasn’t going to make it through this.

She can’t pretend to understand their shared power or the consequences healing has on Raelle. Scylla hasn’t learned about it or lived with it the way Raelle has. She worries that if Raelle takes on too much, she could die. 

But Raelle hasn’t been taking things on the way she used to. It’s different now. Safer.

It’s hard to believe that it’s all over. Alder thought they were gone once, what if there are more? While the battle was by no means easy, it could have been much worse. They’d gotten lucky, Raelle’s unit especially.

And her mother was going to be okay.

Now what?

She guesses they’ll go off to War College with the rest now. Petra will see to that.

Raelle makes a note to speak to her about Scylla, too. She deserves her place there and has more than earned it with her commitment. She wants to discuss it with Scylla first, because they haven’t talked much about after. She doesn’t know how much of Fort Salem was on her orders, and how much of it was something she really wanted to do. 

For all she knows, Scylla doesn’t want to go to War College. It’s one of the many conversations they will have to have.

  
  
  
  


This is the last night they’ll have their little cottage, and Raelle can’t stop thinking about how much she’ll miss it. She doesn’t know what will come next, hoping that she can still see Scylla every day, and sleep together some nights. She’s gotten used to sleeping next to her.

They’re sitting side by side on the sofa. Raelle is inspecting the bruises on Scylla’s neck before she lets out a sigh. She hates that her girlfriend refuses to let her heal them. They’re just bruises, she says, but they’re a reminder that someone has hurt her. She can’t bear to look at them for too long. Things got too close for comfort.

“I feel like we have a lot to talk about…” Scylla’s hand moves to Raelle’s knee as she speaks. “Now that we’ve made it through the worst case scenario. We should talk about what comes next.” It is a relief to hear they are on the same page.

“I still want to go to War College with my unit. I’m hoping you want to go, too, but I understand if you don’t. Just know if you do, we’ll go to Petra and have her pull the strings for you.”

Scylla laughs. ”Of course I want to go. What else do I have to do?”

Raelle puts her hand on top of Scylla’s, beaming as she looks over at her. “I am so relieved. I didn’t want to make you feel like you had to go, but...I’ve gotten used to being around you all the time. The thought of not having you around…”

“You don’t even have to think about it, because it’s not going to happen.” She flips her hand over beneath Raelle’s and swiftly links their fingers together. “Got it?”

“Got it. What else did you want to talk about?” She wiggles her fingers teasingly.

Scylla chews on her lower lip thoughtfully. “Well, I thought maybe we could talk more about what our future might look like. I know we were talking about children before...I’m not saying we do that now, obviously, but I do feel like it’s something we need to discuss. I’d like to be honest with you. I promised you that. If we decided we were going to have children together, how would you feel about us being married first?”

Raelle’s face flushes, because she’s done a lot of thinking about this. Marriage had been on her mind pretty early on during Abigail’s cousin’s wedding.

She knows it’s probably way too soon to even consider these things, but they don't have forever. As soldiers, tomorrow isn’t promised.

She has no questions about what she wants, no uncertainties. After all that has happened, she’s dedicated to this relationship, and intends it to be her last.

“You look nervous. You’re not going to freak me out, babe,” it’s the first time she’s called her that, but the word rolls off her tongue easily. “I remember at Charvel’s wedding when they were getting married and you reached for my hand. I remember thinking, oh, this could be us. So what I’m trying to say is, I don’t hate the idea of being with you forever.” She crinkles her nose as she smiles. “I love you. I’d love nothing more than to marry you. But this is not a proposal, okay? Do not deny me my moment.”

“What, you’re going to propose to me?” Scylla laughs.

“Why? Were you going to propose to me?” 

“I mean, not right this moment, but yes, I even talked to Tally about it…” she trails off, her face turning a little red. “I guess we’ll see who wins and proposes first.”

“Well now I feel like I have to do it now so I can beat you.”

“Not if I do it first.”

Scylla starts to get down on one knee and Raelle’s face is so shocked that she can’t help but burst into laughter. She gets back up and sits down, smiling so widely that her jaw is actually sore. It’s always like this with Raelle. It has been since the beginning.

Raelle playfully swats her in the chest. “That was mean.”

“Mmm, maybe a little,” Scylla grabs Raelle by the collar of her shirt and pulls her in for a kiss. Her hands move to rest on the back of her head, fingers toying with the short hair there as they continue to kiss each other, soft and slow. 

They have nothing to do, nowhere to be. 

They can really soak each other up and things feel lighter between them without the thought of impending war hanging over their heads.

“Before we get carried away…” Scylla murmurs, punctuating each word with another kiss. She smiles, leaning her forehead against hers. “I’d like to carry our children. If we have them, I mean.” She doesn’t want to get ahead of herself, and she’s blushing again.

Raelle takes her chin in hand and pecks her lips again. “First off, it’s when, not if. When we have them. And second, obviously you’re going to be the one having the children. There is no way I would _ever_ want to be pregnant.”

“Abigail said you’re so tiny that she doesn’t think you could handle being pregnant. She also said I have child bearing hips, which was...a little weird.”

“You talked about marriage with Tally _and_ you talked about children with Abigail? I’m glad you guys have become such good friends.”

“Oh, I know, me too. It wasn’t that long ago that they hated me. But I will have you know that Abigail told me she approves. She approves! The Bellweather seal of approval,” Scylla clutches her chest dramatically. “My proudest moment.”

Raelle grins, shifting on the sofa and pulling herself up onto Scylla’s lap. The brunette looks pleased by this development, slipping her arms around her, hands resting on her lower back. They gaze into each other’s eyes for a while, neither saying anything.

“Hi,” Raelle whispers flirtatiously.

Scylla predictably blushes. “Hi.”

They kiss, bodies warm as their limbs become entangled, soft moans escaping Raelle’s mouth as she feels Scylla’s teeth tugging at her bottom lip.

The necromancer moves to stand, holding Raelle in place as she keeps their mouths connected. She’s memorized the path to the bedroom in a matter of days, which says a lot about their extracurricular activities. Scylla carries her to the bedroom and deposits her on the bed, tugging her shirt up over her head before she climbs down on top of her. She brings their lips together again, missing them on hers in the seconds they’ve been apart.

The two women express their love for one another gently, their love-making even softer and slower than usual. As they bask in their post-orgasmal bliss, Scylla and Raelle lay as close to one another as possible. Raelle’s head is on Scylla’s chest and their legs are wrapped together, fingers entangled as they always are. Each part of their bodies buzzing, their skin is warm and tingling from the extended contact. 

“I hope you didn’t get me pregnant yet,” Scylla whispers teasingly, tilting her head so that she can press a kiss to the top of her girlfriend’s head. “Cause I am really looking forward to all the ‘trying’ we’re going to have to do.”

Raelle can’t help but laugh. “Yeah, like you’re _really_ starving for sex as it is.”

“I mean, I wouldn’t mind having _more_ , if that’s what you’re saying.”

“Shut up.”

“Make me.”

And then they’re kissing again, blissful and glowing. They truly can’t keep their hands off of one another. As they squeeze one another’s hands, they emit a soft glow. Scylla whimpers in pleasure as she’s pinned to the bed.

Neither of them know what’s going to happen in the future, but this time, it’s a good thing.

They know there’s a future worth fighting for.

For tonight, they’ll lay in each other’s arms until they fall asleep, daring to dream about all the things they’ve never allowed themselves to imagine.

As for Tally and Abigail, they’re up late, just talking. Abigail recalls how stressful it’s been trying to live up to the family name. Tally admits how much her view of the world has changed with everything that’s happened.

With their new found relationship, they are getting to know each other in new ways. Not to mention getting to know each other’s bodies. More than anything, the two of them have deepened their relationship, and discovered they are more alike than anyone could have guessed.

Abigail isn’t as strong as she pretends to be. Tally openly allows herself to be vulnerable.

Tally recognizes the injustice in the world. Abigail’s eyes have always been wide open.

They complement each other well, and even Petra can see it. 

Abigail had been worried about how her mother would react to her being with another woman. Her expectations have always been high and those expectations had always included a husband, ever since Abigail was a little girl. She doesn’t have to defend Tally to her mother anymore, and she can’t help but smile as she watches the two of them interact.

This kind of happiness wasn’t something either of them could have expected. On that first day at Fort Salem, Abigail had treated Tally poorly. She’d been brutal. But Tally was like a little puppy. It didn’t matter how many times she kicked her, she always came back. She wore her down eventually and now, Abigail would die to protect her.

Funny how these things happen.

As the four of them receive their acceptances for War College, they begin to prepare for whatever will come next. 

One thing is for certain, they’re in this together.

**Always.**  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it. The end of a wild, wonderful journey. I want to thank all of you for the support, comments, kudos, subscriptions, your kind words mean more than I could ever really articulate. This has been my first time writing in a public forum in two years and to be honest, I was terrified I'd lost my touch. You guys have been there through it all, and some of you even stuck it out after a controversial penultimate chapter, which I so appreciate.
> 
> I hope you're happy with the ending, but I want you to know this ISN'T the end for this particular universe. I am planning to do a sequel. I can't give a definite timeline on when that will be, because I want to write other stories and explore different dynamics and universes with these incredible characters!
> 
> Speaking of different universes, I am still doing updates to "strangers with the same damn hunger," which is alternative universe Raylla fic. Abigail & Tally aren't a thing in this one, but they are in the story, as is our dear, departed Libba. "Strangers" is very personal to me in a lot of ways, and if you're not already reading it, I'd love for you to check it out.
> 
> Stay tuned. I'll be taking requests very soon, so if there are things you'd like to see, whether that be ships, certain storylines, character focused stories, I want to make that happen. Details on that soon.
> 
> I'd love to hear what you think about this final chapter. Thank you again!


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